From under my rock I can see quite a bit is going on.

Between comics-to-film news and revamps of iconic characters to sexy political intrigue perfect for a good story exercise; if you wanted “interesting” you’ve got it in spades.

The Russian spy scandal

First of all, yeah, she is not bad on the eyes even if she’s an alleged dirty, filthy, spy. Admittedly, I’ve been avoiding TV especially mainstream media for the last month or so, so I’m not well versed on the up-to-the-minute details of this story. On the surface however it has that classic sleeper agent spy story begging for a new post-cold war twist. It’s almost perfect timing  as Angelina Jolie’s flick Salt gears up with a somewhat similar plot-line. I’d be rather impressed if it was somehow a large guerrilla / viral-marketing  scheme (yeah, I know it’s not).

The BP oil spill debacle / environmental FUBAR

I don’t care who’s at fault, the damage is monumental and is on-going. This oil spill is disheartening! It’s killing already strained local economies as well as absolutely wrecking the ecosystem of the gulf. It’s so bad my kids (when I have them – go go gadget 2012 baby announcement / end of the world) will probably be in their 20′s before it can be said that the the impact on the environment has let up from this spill. Heads need to roll and the way we look at our energy sources needs a drastic overhaul. It’s wishful thinking at this point but from time to time I sing the praises of companies like Tesla Motors for trying to push alternative powered automobiles that don’t look weak as all get out. There needs to be more of these innovative companies pushing the status quo to the side in the name of true progress.  Maybe my kids will see that day.

Jim Lee, come on dude…

This one deserves a full article. Jim Lee was who I had patterned my drawing style from, I collected issues of X-Men & WildC.A.T.s and anything I could get my hands on studying the style. Now, after the Captain America thing (you let that HACK Rob Liefeld touch Caps?!) and this story, maybe the time away was for the best. While I’m quite comfortable with the idea of rebooting an iconic character like Wonder Woman (I was attached to the TV show not the actual comic), I can see the fuss that it’s making, and maybe they should have thought the revamped look through a little more. I’ll speak to that in that blog post for sure. Maybe even make one about imagery when it comes to established characters. Oh, the ideas these sorts of things spark…

DC Comic’s move into web / mobile distribution

I spoke of this a couple of years ago, the little guys are pioneering it and the big guys are going to catch on soon enough. With the emergence of apps centric mobile devices, and CDNs (Content Distribution Network) media is moving to a point of merging into a singular entity where your entertainment, communication and information channels are driven by the cloud and your stored preferences follow you everywhere. Devices like the iPAD while ridiculously named are just the transitional bits of technology necessary to get us to that future.

Here’s some neat fan art

of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man gathered at Youthedesigner.com. As of late, Spidey has been in the headlines for troubles with the property at Sony. When the plans for the fourth sequel fell through, Spider-Man became yet another victim of the “gritty reboot”. Now that they’ve committed to it, the speculator’s talk now is about the possibility and acceptability of taking the character and his alter-ego Peter Parker in a new direction by arguing that the character is more defined by his personality and principles than his (traditionally) portrayed race.

They’ve decided to skew young as well so with this in mind some fans have taken to campaigning for Comedian / Musician Donald Glover (of NBC’s Community) to take up the  webbed mask. I can’t give an opinion on Glover as I’m not familiar with his body of work, however when I’ve asked around, the word is he’s well versed in being a geek on the screen. Danny has been said to have been honored by the thought but would want to earn the role traditionally rather than by popular vote. I say if he can act, why not give him a screen test for the part Sony, after Michael Clarke Duncan’s portrayal of The Kingpin in an otherwise crappy movie (Daredevil), I’m more open minded.

Click here to read the full article»

clipped from www.youthedesigner.com

33 Astonishing Spider-Man Artworks

Among the most popular superheroes that have ever been launched, Spider-Man (Peter Parker) may be considered as one of the most successful fictional characters of all time, possibly even second only to Superman. It has been almost fifty years since his first appearance, but Marvel’s number one superhero is still going strong, especially in the minds and hearts of today’s designers.

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Details via IMDB

Directed by: Sylvain White

Written by: Peter Berg & James Vanderbilt

Plot: After being betrayed and left for dead, members of a CIA black ops team root out those who targeted them for assassination.

	Jeffrey Dean Morgan	…	Clay
	Zoe Saldana	…	Aisha
	Chris Evans	…	Jensen
	Idris Elba	…	Roque
	Columbus Short	…	Pooch
	Óscar Jaenada	…	Cougar
	Jason Patric	…	Max
	Holt McCallany	…	Wade

The Golden Age of the comic book films continues.

The Losers is an adaptation of the comic of the same name published under the DC Comics /Vertigo imprint. Once again like my review of Kick-Ass, this is done without prior exposure to the comic source.

By inspecting the cast & crew, right off bat you’ll notice two things:

There are a couple of comic book movie vets in this film – Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Comedian in Watchmen) & Chris Evans (Human Torch / Fantastic 4 & Captain America / Captain America: The First Avenger )

Sylvain White – Yeah never heard of him is the proper response. Looking over his list of movies that he has directed (Stomp the Yard & I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer?) doesn’t excite anyone looking for an edge to this director’s creative sensibility.  He is the definition of “safe choice” in that if a studio feels the film failed, they have a scape goat and if it is a success then they can pat themselves on the back for having “discovered” this hidden gem. This sounds like a set up for disappointment; thankfully that’s not quite the case.

skip to tl;dr summary »

Is it a winner?

It won’t win awards. It won’t make many top tier playlists. It will however, entertain you. This movie is a throw-back to fun B actioners, there’s enough cheese to balance out the action and make it a solid entry in the “will-watch-it-when-it’s-on”  category of future viewings. We learn that bad things happen any time Zoe Saldana’s character Aisha is in a bedroom.

The cast is solid, these people come from your favorite television shows and films; they know how to make it look fun and when necessary, how not to take the role too seriously. This helps as the concept and the script itself has the vibe of A-Team meets Burn Notice which isn’t such a bad thing for anyone looking for fast-and-loose entertainment.

The movie is paced well; it moves quickly into the set up and despite the so-so plot (the villain’s plans aren’t necessarily the as important as what The Loser’s want to do to the villain)

What works:

Jeffrey Dean Morgan – While not venturing past his usual archetype (leader / authority figure) he makes it work for the story and plays off well with the rest of the cast. In parts it becomes evident that he may have been limited by how his character was defined in the script which may actually reflect the strength of the source material.

Idris Elba – He knows how to play the bad guy everyone likes. Watch a master at work.

Chris Evans – Again not venturing far from where he’s already been, he brings the comical element to the team.

Zoe Saldana - Don’t let the slender frame fool you, she has a future in action if she can keep this up. One scene in particular is literally smoldering.

Jason Patric – Admission, I haven’t seen this guy since Narc (2002) and will always know him best for being in The Lost Boys (1987). Here he plays a send up of generic spy movie villains that manages to not venture too far into camp to where he’s not enjoyable. It’s a toned down Terrence Stamp (Kneel before ZOD!)  in Get Smart.You’ll see it most in his interactions with his main henchman Wade.

Holt McCallany – another Hollywood go-to henchman that’s always fun to watch in film or television. He plays well off of Jason Patric’s Max.

What doesn’t:

This technically suffers from being half of a movie, it’s clear there is more to the story by the end and it may become a minor nuisance with further viewings.

Multiple endings, they rarely work. These were borderline tedious after all of the action that came before.

The director while safe, isn’t exactly the type to lift this script to the heights it could’ve gone, he makes safe style choices that lead to forgettable moments where the actors involved could’ve shined.

I’d like to see either Antoine Fuqua, Albert Hughes & Allen Hughes, Joe Carnahan, Shane Black or  Guy Ritchie tackle the sequel.

TL;DR Summary:

This is a nice primer for the A-Team flick, it’s watchable though it runs the risk of being slightly forgettable. It’s popcorn worthy and any dose of  Zoe Saldana is better than none.

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Details via IMDB

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Writers: Jane Goldman (screenplay) & Matthew Vaughn (screenplay)

Plot: Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.

Cast:

	Aaron Johnson	…	Dave Lizewski / Kick-Ass
	Lyndsy Fonseca	…	Katie Deauxma
	Christopher Mintz-Plasse	…	Chris D’Amico / Red Mist
	Mark Strong	…	Frank D’Amico
	Chloe Moretz	…	Mindy Macready / Hit-Girl (as Chloë Grace Moretz)
	Nicolas Cage	…	Damon Macready / Big Daddy

Going in blind…

When I know a movie is based off a comic book property I usually make an effort to find the comic and read a few issues or find a graphic novel to get the general flavor of the characters I’ll be seeing on the big screen. I wasn’t able to do my due diligence for Kick-Ass so I can’t compare the flick to the source this time around.

That’s okay, it may have actually helped me to like this flick even more than I would have.

Mark Millar was behind the comic along with John Romita Jr., and my familiarity with Millar’s comics to films properties always tell me that what’s in the book isn’t going to end up 100% in the film. Wanted the graphic novel is 50% different from Wanted the motion picture.

The clincher for me is that this was a Matthew Vaughn flick, he gave the world Layer Cake, which gave us Daniel Craig channeling his version of  James Bond through a Guy Ritchie filter.

skip to tl;dr summary »

The inevitable comic book /movie geek unnecessary comparison

I’m going to go ahead and throw this out there because for anyone familiar with the two properties and a lot of Millar’s body of work, you’ll notice that the theme of Kick-Ass is rooted in a similar place as Wanted’s comic source. Both involve a nameless nobody living in a world sans superheroes that find themselves pushed to do things outside of their comfort zone. They don masks and go forth to change things how they see fit only to realize they weren’t alone in doing this to begin with.  Twists, turns & growing up ensue.

You’ll also notice hints of 1999′s Mystery Men in it

The real superhero movie of the 2010 season

I gave my verdict on Iron Man, it suffered from minor sequel-itis and managed to bloat itself into feeling incomplete. This is not the case with Kick-Ass as it has more in common with 2008′s Iron Man in that it’s a fun fast paced origin story that balances the trends of gritty realism and tongue-in-cheek cheese to bring the audience a solid film going experience.

What’s good about it?

The story – As I’ve pointed out it’s not terribly original at the root nor was it meant to be, but it maintains a graphic novel / comic structure that’s difficult to do when crossing mediums. This keeps the pacing just right and doesn’t leave room for the ADHD set to begin to wander.

Aaron Johnson’s Dave Lizewski / Kick-Ass – This guy reminds you of Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker, he means well but is in over his head most of the time. He’s driven by the simple question: “Why hasn’t anyone tried to be a superhero in real life?” When he receives his answer in one the most brutal ways possible (you’ll wince) he strengthens his resolve and throws himself into making it as a superhero.  You’ll find yourself rooting for him  with ease.

Nick Cage’s Damon Macready / Big Daddy -  You can see where Nick would’ve been a solid superhero in other properties if he let go of wanting to be bigger characters (He’s not Kal-El, and he’s not Johnny Blaze either). Here he takes what appears to be a Hollywood watered down batman / Punisher combo and makes him tolerable enough to care for his character’s involvement in the plot. Cage’s notoriety as an actor that loves to ham it up is reinforced here as he plays a father out for revenge that missed the classes on bad parenting.

Mark Strong’s Frank D’Amico – Mark has built up  a resume that has positioned him to be Hollywood’s go-to goon / main villain and this effort is no different. While he’s not as sinister and threatening as his turn as Lord Blackwood in Sherlock Holmes, he’s closer to the vain of  Guy Ritchie mobster types who are always a little neurotic and surrounded by idiots (though his turn as Archy in Ritchie’s RocknRolla was far from idiotic goon). He’s also playing the not-such-a-good-father-figure role here as he fights with whether or not his son should begin to learn the family business.

What’s great about the movie?

Chloe Moretz’s Mindy Macready / Hit-Girl -  She. Steals. The. Movie. This kid pretty much comes out of nowhere in a role that Dakota Fanning may have gotten a few years ago, to slice, dice and blast her way into your heart. As Big Daddy’s side-kick, this superhero protege can hold her own with most of the criminal element and makes you wonder how such a brutal vigilante can fit in such a little package. Yeah, she’s everything that’s wrong with media & video games these days but they manage to make her fun and thanks to the movie not taking itself far too seriously you can unclench a little despite the punk-rock fueled mayhem she dispatches at will.

Should I go see it?

Spend your money, Hit-Girl alone is worth the ticket.

TL;DR Summary:

A genuinely fun popcorn flick worth the price of admission, the bucket of popcorn and the soda, but you better hold it in if you drink the whole thing because the break times are in odd spots & you’ll miss something cool. Yes, there is a sequel in the works.

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Details via IMDB

Directed by: Jon Favreau
Written by: Justin Theroux (screenplay)

Plot: Billionaire Tony Stark must contend with deadly issues involving the government, his own friends, as well as new enemies due to his superhero alter ego Iron Man.

Cast:
	Robert Downey Jr.	…	Tony Stark
	Don Cheadle	…	Lt. Col. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes / War Machine
	Scarlett Johansson	…	Natalie Rushman / Natasha Romanoff
	Gwyneth Paltrow	…	Pepper Potts
	Sam Rockwell	…	Justin Hammer
	Mickey Rourke	…	Ivan Vanko
	Samuel L. Jackson	…	Nick Fury

Finally, a sequel we actually asked for.

As someone who loves movies and often goes beyond the average person when it comes to learning about what’s down Hollow-wood’s

Hollywood’s pipelines, it was a no-brainer that the success of the first Iron Man was a guarantee of sequel(s) and cross-overs with Marvel Studios

finally calling the shots. Unfortunately, the chances of sequel-itis kicking in were high.

To his credit, Jon Favreau did his best to temper the urge to make common sequel mistakes and while he still committed a few of them he didn’t let them steer the movie too far out of the range of being enjoyable.

skip to tl;dr summary »

What did we actually get?

This movie suffers from pacing & bloat issues, typical symptoms of being a sequel no doubt but notable as it represents a chink in Favreau’s armor.  Without going into too many spoilers, I’ll do my best to explain my stance.

The movie starts with a whirlwind of events that sum up to an exposition of  the life and times of Anthony Stark after revealing he was man in the iron mask. He’s still an admirable filthy rich egotistical douche with daddy issues but clearly he’s got real problems. Government issued problems. Meanwhile he’s also dealing with physical toll of being kept alive by the nuclear alternative power source in his chest keeping fragments from piercing his heart and the crushing expectations of being a hero, patriot, celebrity and CEO.  Everyone wants a piece of Tony and Tony is running out of pieces and looking for ways to run away / hide. (demon in a bottle hints).

As a result, he’s pushing his secretary “Pepper” Potts away as well as Rhodey is wing man played by the-better-suited-than Terrence Howard (pun unintended), Don Cheatle and anyone else that gets close.

Sounds like a great movie so far right?

As Charlie Murphy said it when referring to Rick James’ behavior, WRONG, WRONG! We need War Machine! We’ve got to lay the seeds for The Avengers! We’ve got to add in multiple villains!

What happened?

Rourke’s Vanko / Whiplash wasn’t exactly needed. I can understand and appreciate why he was there; he represented the mirror held up at Tony, tortured genius, father issues, only Tony got to live the life and Vanko got to see Siberia. A bitter son seeks to avenge his bitter father using the technology left behind in his belongings. A deeper look though suggests that everything he did could’ve been done by a lesser character and left Justin Hammer (played excellently by Sam Rockwell ) as the main foil for Stark. Instead we got the inevitable team-up and the resulting combination only brought us Obadiah Stane’s  ghost making a cameo.

Why Hammer over Vanko?

I’ll admit, going with Vanko alone could have made the film better as well but that would involve listening to Mickey Rourke do his usual rubber-faced mumbling in a thick Russian accent for longer than should be legally allowed. A silent stalker / genius angle could work well as a contrast but that may have not worked for the overall flavor of Favreau’s flicks.

Hammer on the other hand is also sort of a mirror for Tony; it’s clear he admires Tony and aspires to be as much like as possible. Everything he does however comes across as a con man’s impression of Stark, where Tony seems like a Howard Hughes powered by red bull, vodka and a pound of yayo, Justin is Nicholas Cage channeling Howard Hughes powered by red bull, vodka and a pound of yayo. It’s easier to follow, relate to and enjoy the simplicity of Justin’s actions in the film plus his bankroll puts him in a position to be a long term enemy for stark to contend with.

Other fat to trim

Sam Jackson’s sort of long-term important bit parts in the movie with about 10 minutes of Scarlett Johansson in a leather outfit(!) channeling her husband’s  (Ryan Reynolds) one cool scene in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (as Deadpool) while Favreau’s character fumbles around with a single goon, seemed tacked on for the sake of the action they had been denying us.  Had it not been necessary to set up the future franchise(s) this hitting the cutting room floor could’ve shaved 30 or so minutes of film to channel into fuel for more of an original confrontation between Iron Man / War Machine & The U.S. Government / Hammer.

That’s right, too much attention was spent on the wrong aspects of storytelling.

They tried too hard to put too many elements to something that needed to be as straight forward as the original and what we’re left with feels very rushed and incomplete. There just isn’t enough action to make up for the lulls in the expository parts of the film. It was so prevalent that it made the movie feel like a reboot. In a way, this was Tony’s origin story b-side edition.

Should I watch it then?

If you’re a fan of the comics, yes. If you like decent comic book movies, spend your money. If you’re just getting into it for the movie, sure it’s worth a little time on the weekend. If you were expecting it to top the first one or your attention span gets super short at the talking parts, save your money.

TL;DR Summary:

The movie is watchable and for most it will be enjoyable. For the ADHD crowd this will bore you in places. Feels more like the second half / “gritty reboot” of Iron Man 1 rather than an actual sequel.

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