THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (Marc Webb 2012)

[Johann]

I don't know what "The Marvel" is. You say it's a money-making machine. How come I have never heard of "The Marvel"?

RE: Batman Begins/The Dark Knight- the auteur is in plain sight Chris. When I watch these two movies now, all I notice is Chris Nolan's direction. You are right he's High Concept, but not of the kind that Jerry Bruckheimer is so famous for. Nolan's got intellect on his side. He could be seen to be pandering in a way, but who isn't who makes a comic book movie? At base the very act is pandering to fans.
Chris Nolan assumes the audience is smart. Jerry Bruckheimer just hopes they have a couple hours to kill.
I just watched Batman Begins again, and I see almost no flaws. I don't like Katie Holmes. And what a distraction she is now- her marriage imploded and it's all you think about when you see her as Rachel Dawes. Warner Brothers was right to give her the boot for promoting Cruise's War of the Worlds over Batman in 2005


The Spirit was made into a movie, but I don't think you would like it at all. It's Frank Miller's Spirit, and it tanked huge.
But I like it. They definitely should do a faithful movie of Will Eisner's art, like Tin-Tin.
Plastic Man would be a great film too. He can be seen in some of the animated DC cartoons, but no movie has been made yet.
He would be a great movie character. They kind-of did it with Mr. Fantastic in The Fantastic Four movies.

Critical rankings don't concern me, especially two comic book movies like Avengers and Thor.
I give them both the same grade. I enjoyed them equally the same- no one better than the other.
Marc Webb can't sniff Oliver Stone's boots. That ranking is pitting a Giant against a flavor of the month director.
I reckon Marc Webb could never make something like Nixon or Platoon. Never in his life would he be able to.

Andrew Garfield does seem perfect for the role- way better than Tobey Maguire, who looked like he was acting the whole time.
That said, the first 2 Sam Raimi Spider-Mans were very good. Thumbs up. But #3 blows donkey balls and always will.
That series imploded because of that movie.
We see this new reboot because of that movie.
I can't even LOOK at the cover of that DVD, it's so horrible. Hudson Hawk horrible. Howard the Duck horrible.

Comic book Masterpieces have been made, but there are only a scant few of them.
The Dark Knight is probably the closest we've seen to a Comic book Masterpiece.
The cast, the characters, the drama, the tension, the score, the action, the camerawork (can I say IMAX?)- Nolan is the full meal deal, and I can't wait to sit in front of another Batman in just over a week.

If only he'd think about Aquaman. LOL I can dream, can't I?
Imagine a Chris Nolan Aquaman movie. It would be something else.

[Chris Knipp]

-Image from Screennrant

Tabuno, I think that's a great point. The Marvel Comics blockbusters don't really, truly evoke the comic books world of my childish imagination, which was fantastic and unreal, vivid, strange, and at the same time two-dimensional in a dreamlike kind of way. But the Marvel Comics blockbusters have overwhelmed the imagery of the original paper creations. For all I know the majority in the audience have not even read a comic book. The creators and the publishers give the nod: why wouldn't they if it make them rich?

Johann: There is no one The Marvel. Marvel Studios<Disney<Columbia/Sony/Fox<Paramount: many have pieces of the pie. You haven't heard of the Marvel because it's everywhere.

[Nolan] He could be seen to be pandering in a way, but who isn't who makes a comic book movie?

You said it, pal.

We had this conversation about The Spirit before, and of course I mean Will Eisner's not Frank Miller's. If The Dark Knight is "the closest we've come" to a comic book masterpiece, then we can stop looking, and stay home -- and page through our comic book collection.

If there be a blockbuster-auteur, by common consensus it would probably be Spielberg. In the studio era there were studio auteurs. Maybe James Cameron would make a grand comic book blockbuster.

I hope the final DARK KNIGHT will be a great movie and great fun, and not a long slog for me like the last one. I'm suspect it will have good production values and a committed cast. But damn it, comic books are small. They're full of imagination, but they're small. And they're for kids.

[Johann]

Nice image there.

Ah, The Marvel is a corporate monster. My bad.
You actually highlight something Chris. People should stay at home and read their comics.
Comics are not for kids. Most are, but Watchmen is not for kids. Sin City is not for kids.
The Dark Knight Returns is not for kids. Erotic animae is not for kids.
The Dark Knight Returns is actually being made (Rated R?) into an animated film and I can't wait to see it.
Comic books have an appeal that spans all ages and demographics, from Archie to The Crow.

The movies are getting damn close to matching the comic book medium. We just need that Holy Grail Hail Mary from a fanboy filmmaker lurking out there...

[Johann]

I'll bet five dollars that THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is a slog for you, Chris.
Five bucks.
Wager?

[Johann]

I saw Kick-Ass and I enjoyed it.
Nic Cage as Big Daddy was Awesome.
Good heart to that movie.
And he'll be in the sequel: BALLS TO THE WALL

[Chris Knipp]

In the post 70's blockbuster movie world, comics and graphic novels have obviously become equally fertile fields to mine for profitable movie material for all audiences. But in my opinion the dark, adult side of comics as exemplified by Frank Miller's work is a development of the last few decades, Miller being born in 1957. The comics I grew up with might have been "dark", though that word was not really the cliche it is now if used at all, but they were designed for kids. Movies were not rated, let's remember. There were no "adult" comics or "adult" movies. It might be best to consider the Frank Miller material "graphic novel" material. And "graphic novel", however it may go back to medieval drawings, Frank Maserel and Max Ernst, is a more recent and more adult-oriented medium.

I am afraid you are right and I won't lay a wager that for me THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is going to be a slog. I accidentally heard and partly saw part of a promo trailer and just the droning heavy-handed "significant" music gave me a headache. This is a problem with BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, which has good things in it but pushes its significance too hard aurally.

But yeah, on the other hand KICK-ASS is a "superhero" movie that dares to be outrageous, even offensive, and is not out to fill seats in cineplexes, though it did sell some. It has a light touch. And it gets at the origin of comics in kids' fantasies or the catering to them.

As for anime, which is just the Japanese word for "animation," that's a medium that has gone erotic, while I gather manga, which means comic books, has gone toward the cutysy and appealed to young girls young boys, and gays, and sometimes is erotic and sometimes not. Anime is sometimes a medium for animated martial arts tales. In other words, the Japanese have taken animation in their own rich directions. You meant "anime," not "animae, which is Latin for souls. Many animae have been lost to anime.

[Johann]

Chris has got it right with his thoughtful and considerate review.
I would add that I have done a 180 on this.
The 2-issue comic book adaptation gives NO inkling of the cinematic delights contained in Marc Webb's confection.
Martin Sheen and Sally Field are veterans who give this a human element that I was not expecting. This is a very human treatment of Peter Parker, and I have to say that I was not expecting this to be a very good movie. Shame on Marvel for making me buy a mediocre comics adaptation!

I really enjoyed this film. Really did.
The costume was cool, the SFX were cool, the story was cool (to re-launch the Marvel Icon of Marvel Icons), and I cannot criticize it.
It was Great.
No complaints.
this Nerd/Geek is very happy.
Watch the next Spider-Mans. I like Garfield's Spidey/Parker very much.
Awesome first step. Human, grounded yet Fantastic.
Spider-Man fans have zilch to complain about.
It is influenced by Chris Nolan, but that isn't a bad thing by any stretch.

[Johann]

Last Words, Last Words



OUT

[Chris Knipp]

Well gee, I'm really glad. I told you so, I really did. I'm happy you saw the light! There have been a lot of Sam Raimi fan nay-sayers, but if a true fanboy gives it his imprimatur, that counts for a lot. I don't really count in these things. I was already an Andrew Garfield fan. I'm not a fanboy. But I like your praising the "human" side. It's strong there.

[Johann]

It really is a terrific movie.
I did a 180 on it big time.
So enjoyable on so many levels.
I underestimated it. That comic adaptation is deceiving.

Last words- why do my posts have ads embedded in them?
And why did no one tell me?

[Chris Knipp]

It really is a terrific movie.
I did a 180 on it big time.
So enjoyable on so many levels.
I underestimated it. That comic adaptation is deceiving.

I admire you for this.

There are no ads here. It's something in your browser -- an ad blocker is needed.

[Johann]

OK, got it. (I'm using a friend's laptop)

HUGE thumbs up for The Amazing Spider-Man.
It *amazingly* makes you forget Tobey Maguire for a split-second.
You're right Chris: Spider-Man 2 (the Raimi) was Outstanding.
But this is new, fresh, human and a great new direction for Spider-Man at the movies.
No complaints.
If you gripe about this one, you need help.

[tabuno]

I'm puzzled by Johann's gushing praise of this movie in the context of Chris's commentary which I read as much more sedate and carefully managed, an attempt to avoid a glittering, fabulous full out endorsement of the movie as great or a classic.

[Johann]

No need to be puzzled, tabuno. I stop short of calling it a classic. It is just a really entertaining take on a comic book Icon.
I'm not gushing, I'm just saying that as a movie of Spider-Man, it Rocks.
No complaints. It does exactly what it is supposed to do. I look forward to the sequels.

Some camera tricks really surprised me. It is a tidy, fluid movie. Which is what Spider-Man should be.
And Stan Lee's cameo was priceless.

[Johann]

Interesting that a skateboarding, punk-style Peter Parker would have a framed poster of Hitchcock's REAR WINDOW in his room.
A teenager who has that is definitely bright, and Parker is portrayed as such.

The wisecracks that Spidey is famous for in the comics are here, and even though his origin story has been done again, I was never rolling my eyes.
I just hope the origin is NEVER filmed again. (Ha ha). We've been there, done that. No more re-tellings of Spider-Mans origins! Finito! LOL

Dennis Leary is perfect, and the character of Gwen Stacy is handled great and her casting is perfect. I love her lisp- glad the filmmakers are not afraid to show traits that movies can all-too-easily avoid. This film is grounded, and I was expecting something else.
Very pleasantly surprised.
It can go toe to toe with The Dark Knight Rises, and I'm sure there are people out there who liked it better.