Top Fifty Films of the 00s — Number Forty-One
#41 — Spider-Man 2 (Sam Raimi, 2004) It’s hard to remember when surveying the release schedule these days, but there was a time when movies populated by superheroes, either adapted from comic books or originally created, weren’t especially common. By now, … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 00s — Number Forty-One
Play me a sad song ’cause that’s what I wanna hear, I want you to make me cry
I sure wish Dan Clowes would get hired as the regular writer-artist for Batman comics. I’m glad I was reminded of the above image earlier today. (Posted simultaneously to “Jelly-Town!”) Continue reading Play me a sad song ’cause that’s what I wanna hear, I want you to make me cry
Summer, summer, summer, it’s like a merry-go-round
(500) Days of Summer seems to aspire to nothing less than reinventing the typical romantic comedy. It doesn’t subvert the form or offer some sort of deconstruction. Instead, it seems to want to take something familiar and dose it with … Continue reading Summer, summer, summer, it’s like a merry-go-round
I said where you goin’ with that gun in your hand
There was a time when I saw just about every major new release that came out of Hollywood. In particular, if a movie topped the box office on any given weekend, I felt I should have an informed opinion on it, which is how I stuck myself seeing Bulletproof (that actually may have been the film that broke the habit). Those days are long gone. I didn’t go anywhere near this weekend’s top earner. However, I might of had it looked a a little different. There are other derivations that I would have found even more enticing. (Posted simultaneously to … Continue reading I said where you goin’ with that gun in your hand
Top Fifty Films of the 00s — Number Forty-Two
#42 — Trouble the Water (Carl Deal and Tia Lessin, 2008) It begins in the Superdome. It is mere days after Hurricane Katrina’s assault on New Orleans, the after-effects just beginning to be felt. Some officials are telling a film crew … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 00s — Number Forty-Two
She walks to work but she’s still in a daze, she’s Rita Hayworth or Doris Day
Wanted (Timur Bekmambetov, 2008). Colossally stupid. Based on a six-issue comic book series written by Mark Millar, the film revolves around a secret society of assassins with a knack for bending the laws of physics to their favor, most notably by sending bullets on curved trajectories with a flick of their wrist while firing a gun, as if they were bowling balls hurled down a well-oiled lane. If the filmmakers are going to disregard the basic principles of science so freely and frivolously, I suppose it’s silly to expect them to care a whit for things like logic and narrative … Continue reading She walks to work but she’s still in a daze, she’s Rita Hayworth or Doris Day
One for Friday: Belly, “Judas My Heart”
I think I’ve made my disdain for Rolling Stone fairly clear. It is the pabulum of music journalism and criticism, which is especially unfortunate because the publication has also spent the majority of its forty-plus year existence setting the canon … Continue reading One for Friday: Belly, “Judas My Heart”
Top Fifty Films of the 00s — Number Forty-Three
#43 — The Brothers Bloom (Rian Johnson, 2009) Rian Johnson’s second feature film virtually reverberates with a love of storytelling. The main plot is driven by an elaborate con that unfolds across several nations, so there is naturally an abundance … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 00s — Number Forty-Three
When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone
There’s a moment in Kathryn Bigelow’s new movie, The Hurt Locker, which is predictably tragic and tragically predictable. A military man who’s stationed in Iraq, but largely unversed on the dangers that exist on those sun-scorched streets, tags along on … Continue reading When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone
With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound he pulls the spitting high tension wires down
Your result for The Godzilla Personality Test!… Titanosaurus: The Overlooked Dinosaur Titanosaurus. A dinosaur that lives at the bottom of the ocean. Bad News: There’s a lot of bad news here. First of all, you’re kind of the bastard child of the Godzilla series (You and Battra), having only appeared in one film(didn’t even get your name in the title) and some video games. Your powers also aren’t that great. You can create winds and whirlpools. You have a sonic scream and that’s about it. Good News: You look really cool and you’re pretty tall. You’re a great swimmer. You’re … Continue reading With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound he pulls the spitting high tension wires down
