I went out to see The Incredible Hulk last night…it was so-so. I liked this movie about as much as the last…and I was pretty “meh” about that one as well. I can’t even say that one could spoil anything about the movie, since the plot is pretty straight forward: The military is after Bruce Banner, Hulk smash, the military makes their own monster, monster gets out of control, Hulk smash. Hints for sequels. The end.
Tony Stark’s appearance isn’t even as impressive as it should be, since they put his scene into recent commercials. The one thing that might be a spoiler (and I don’t think I’m ruining it for anyone, really) is that there is a lot of setup for both upcoming Captain America and The Avengers films. In fact, the vibe of this “Hulk” movie seemed to be, “Okay, let’s get this movie out of the way so we can move toward The Avengers.” Supposedly, there was a scene filmed with Captain America (or perhaps his alter ego, Steve Rogers) for The Incredible Hulk, but they’re saving it for the DVD release. I’m hoping that someone leaks that into the internet soon because I’m genuinely curious to see who they’ve cast for that role.
I also keep reading about the next movie to be produced as an Avengers precursor being Thor. I dunno… Thor hasn’t been a relevant character in 25 years, let’s face it. And since his story is based so heavily in the fantasy realm of Norse mythology, it would be incredibly difficult to fit him in with the rest of the established characters. I would skip Thor and either choose another character to dedicate an entire feature or invest that money into making a truly extraordinary Captain America film.
The thing is, I’d even go as far to say that they’re ready to make an Avengers movie now. What I would do is kick off an Avengers movie where we see the familiar faces of Iron Man and Hulk, give Captain America an explosive introduction in the opening scene, then casually introduce one or two other supporting characters (like Hawkeye, who is great in The Avengers, but also doesn’t deserve his own feature) during the course of the movie to complete the team. Not hard to do and could save a lot of money for the studio so they can afford to make it as awesome as it deserves to be.
I do have to commend Marvel for being ambitious enough to take on the challenge of putting together an Avengers movie. I had my share of reservations back when they were working on the first X-Men flick since it had a complicated ensemble cast, but I was surprisingly satisfied. That’s the one thing that’s rocketed them to success beyond DC Comics… DC Comics has been flirting with the idea of a Justice League movie for decades, but they have enough trouble producing decent solo films for their characters, though I mostly blame their parent company of Warner Bros. for botching up that process. Meanwhile, Marvel’s been able to knock out at least two films a year. Now they’re showing that they’re bold enough to step up to the plate on The Avengers. “A team movie? Yeah, let’s do this! Make it happen.”
Now that I think about it, if they wanted to make a team movie, they’re already totally set up for The New Fantastic Four. Many don’t remember (and those who do, please find a girlfriend), but there was a brief moment in Marvel history where the original Fantastic Four members had been incapacitated, so a “new” team was formed to replace them, consisting of Spider-man, Wolverine, Ghost Rider, and Hulk. All of those characters have had their own films recently; some with sequels by now. I’m just sayin’…
But tangents aside, back to The Incredible Hulk. The scenes of Hulk fighting were fun to watch. The funny thing is that while the character of Bruce Banner’s story is usually interesting, it’s not as entertaining as “Hulk Smash!” Ironically, if the movie were 90 minutes of beginning-to-end “Hulk Smash!”, I would have paid twice the ticket price and pre-ordered the DVD that day.
If you’re looking for fan service, this movie delivers. Stan Lee has his due cameo, with a line. There are quite a few nods to the 1970s TV show. Bill Bixby makes a subtle appearance. Lou Farrigno not only gets a cameo, but also a couple lines, as well as providing the voice of Hulk throughout the film. It took me a second to notice, but some of the soundtrack is clearly derived from some of the TV show’s background music.
This was a long review (of sorts), so here’s the bottom line: Wait for it to hit the dollar theaters. Maybe wait to rent it on DVD in case the rumor of the added Captain America scene holds any truth to it.
Official reports reveal that the upcoming Street Fighter film centered around Chinese protagonist, Chun Li will suffer an absence of Street Fighter front men, Ryu and Ken. Producers of the film claim that since the Street Fighter franchise is chalk full of characters, there would be many that wouldn’t make the cut. Everyone’s favorite shoto’s losing this round, but possibly will make it into sequel’s, pending this film’s success.
Uh…you can’t have Street Fighter without Ken or Ryu. It’s the rule. When it was originally announced that the central character of the movie would be Chun Li, it was an unexpected call, but acceptable. As bad as the first Street Fighter movie was on the whole, it was easy to understand that Guile was the star, since he was the American character. But cutting Ryu and Ken completely from any Street Fighter title? That’s like having Disneyland without Micky Mouse–it’s not the same.
What’s comical is that they try to support their decision by comparing this movie to the X-Men movie trilogy. They note that “major characters” like Pyro and Nightcrawler (who’ve rarely appeared in the X-Men comics in the past 15 years) didn’t get screen time until the sequels, so we shouldn’t fret if Ken and Ryu don’t show up until future movies. They also mention that fan-favorite X-Man, Gambit, never appeared in any of the movies. Yeah, and fans have complained about that since the first film. And doesn’t that imply the possibility that Ken and Ryu may never be included in future Street Fighter movies?
Disappointments continue as they have also decided that most characters that were included in the cast will not sport costumes that even resemble their video game counterparts, deemed too “silly” for a feature film. They did offer fans the consolation that Chun Li will, however, be true to form in that she will appear with her trademark hair buns.
Gee, thanks… We’ll make the few characters that we did include into the story completely unrecognizable, but we promise to get Chun Li’s hair right. This film keeps sounding weirder and weirder, the deeper into production it gets. With all that we do know, I’d be surprised if this film makes it to theaters (the DOA movie straight-to-DVD outcome sounding more likely), let alone being eligible for sequels.
Saturday night, I went to see the new Indiana Jones movie. I gotta say that I was fairly disappointed. There were plenty of parts where I’m thinking to myself, “Yes! This is so totally an Indiana Jones movie!” But then there are the parts–and those who have seen it know what they are–where it’s so totally not. Without spoiling it, where the previous Indiana Jones movies have been adventure films dealing with magical religious relics, this fourth movie is heavily based around science fiction.
What’s refreshing to see is that the story successfully expresses how Indiana Jones’ character has grown and aged (both physically and mentally). He’s not the same Indiana that we knew 20 years ago; he’s what we’d expect to become of Dr. Jones once he’d reached his mid-60′s…nearly ten years older than his father was when we’d last seen him. He’s still as wise and cocky as ever, but certainly less reckless. We also get little tastes of what Indiana has been up to though history between the 1930s and 1950s, almost as if we’d missed a couple film’s worth of stories in between.
The thing that does hurt the film is what I felt ruins a lot of recent movies based on 1980s franchises–and not just other George Lucas properties, but movies like Superman Returns as well. That being the extra effort to connect the new movie to the previous ones ad nauseum. As much as I loved Marion as a believable female role over that blond bimbo from “Temple of Doom”, her presence was completely unnecessary for this newest movie. Regardless of how much I loved her in it as well. Her only purpose was to serve as a familiar face to help draw in the fans.
Shia LeBeouf’s character wasn’t much better, but I understand what his role was about. Since he’s so much younger, his character can perform all the exciting action that Harrison cannot. It’s also easy to see (without giving too much away) that he may in fact be the keystone toward reviving the franchise. There was a noticeable “passing of the torch” vibe expressed in this movie. Though I don’t believe that anyone could truly replace Harrison Ford’s character.
I’ve been doing my best to avoid the technical differences between the original trilogy and this new film, with it’s 21st Century visuals. Most of the visual effects were convincing and I must say that this film had some of the best camera work that I’ve ever seen. But there is one thing I have to comment on, and that’s lighting. Part of what defines an Indiana Jones movie in my mind is the use of harsh natural sunlight. Indiana Jones is about getting one’s hands dirty in brutal outdoor conditions. You can almost feel yourself sweat, the sand in your nose, and skin begin to burn just by watching one of those movies. In this movie, most exterior scenes were shot in front of a green screen…and you can feel it. Scenes that should feel gritty and natural instead feel sterile and synthetic.
I believe that we certainly need more action/adventure films like Indiana Jones, but Spielberg and Lucas should not be the ones making them anymore. In the past 20 years, they’ve grown into being very different filmmakers. They’re different people now and have different motives in how they operate in Hollywood. Franchises like Star Wars and Indiana Jones may continue, but without all the things that originally made them great and I fear that forthcoming features will pale in comparison, regardless of the advancement in technological capability. I would much more prefer–and I know this goes against the entire current business model of the entertainment industry–that we invest in the fresh talents emerging and create new stories that are able to hold up along side with the classics of the past. I’d like to see more evidence that what’s being released lately really is the best that our culture artistically has to offer.
Adam Carolla (comedic star of radio and television) has written, produced, and will be starring in his own film, The Hammer, that will debut this Friday, March 21st. The film’s set for a limited theatrical release so far, but if it does well, it will spread to more cities. I’m hoping for one near my town, so if anyone wants to do me a favor, go out and see it (multiple times if possible) so that I might have a shot at it myself. You can tell from the trailer that it’s bound to be full of laughs!
A few days ago I was at the local Big Lots where they’d just set up a bin filled with DVDs for only $3 a pop. It was in this bin that I stumbled upon some buried treasure. That being the complete collection of the 1943 Batman movie serials. Not a bad deal, since I was prepared to pay the listed price of $25 when it had first come out.
After watching most of it, I find it deliciously entertaining. While there’s a certain presence of camp from it simply being from the 1940′s, there are also aspects of what I understand to be Batman that I was pleased to see. Firstly, he was serious about being a detective. He’d go undercover in disguise for reconnaissance and use scientific tools to unravel clues. Also, it was clear that Bruce Wayne was the alter ego…a character that Batman would play to conceal his true identity. And even though he was a goofball, Alfred was faithful to what his character was during that time and it was cool to see him get involved in Batman and Robin’s plans.
All that said, there were some qualities of the series that were, well…pretty fucked up. From the top, the whole thing is incredibly racist. It’s somewhat understandable since it was produced during World War II and America was already balls-deep in anti-Japanese propaganda. The main villain was a Japanese agent, but played by an American with eye make-up, using an accent that doesn’t resemble any genuine Asian dialect that I can recognize. The writers were also not at all shy about using the term “shifty-eyed Japs” quite repeatedly.
While Batman had many aforementioned skills that I admired, sadly fighting was not one of them in this series. When Batman would bust in to stop the bad guys from their shenanigans, he would succeed only in that the bad guys would all drop what they’re doing to gang rush Batman and stomp his ass before making their get-away. In fact, if there’s an exact polar opposite to Hokuto Shinken, that’s what Batman practiced. If he did study any kind of martial arts, it consisted of one guy grabbing him from behind while another guy gut-punches him until he passes out. That and falling off of stuff. Buildings, bridges, overhead electrical cables… That grappling hook gun that he’s now most known for was clearly borne of habitual folly during the Roosevelt years.
Oh, and Robin drives the car. That just don’t work.
All-in-all, totally worth $3. If you can grab it up in your area, go for it!
Today I saw for the first time the trailer for the upcoming Highlander video game. Apparently, the clan MacLeod is a vast one, hosting many a generation of immortal. Connor MacLeod was born into it. Duncan MacLeod was adopted. Quinten MacLeod…I dunno, since the animated series is ass anyway. Then last year, we were introduced to Colin MacLeod, who was deemed an honorary member of the clan for his heroism in the animeHighlander: The Search For Vengeance. (Which, by the way, was really just Fist Of The North Star with swords.)
Now we have Owen MacLeod, the lead character in the new Highlander game. I don’t know how they’re gonna do this. On the one hand, you don’t really need a MacLeod to have a Highlander plot. But on the other hand, Highlander: The Raven didn’t have a MacLeod and it was ass too.
Plot aside, making an action video game sounds cool for Highlander, but I can imagine it would be difficult to make believable. Cuz either you have hundreds of immortals that you cut your way through in each level, or Owen will slaughter hundreds of mortal civilians before reaching an immortal boss. Either scenario sounds excessive in the accordance of Highlander lore. But I suppose if there’s a will, there’s a way…
I’ve pretty much gathered that Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim’s late night lineup is more or less designed for stoners. I think it started back with some of their early shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force, which is a funny show, but clearly tests well with people who are high. Since then, I’ve been seeing more and more shows that are god-awful, but you can tell that they’re made to give stoners something to watch in the post-midnight hours.
The latest example that I can’t ignore is Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!. The funny part about it is that I kinda know how it’s tailored to stoners because when I watch it, it reminds me of a fever dream. Like when I get the flu and my fever runs so hot that I’m all delusional, that show is how my brain might interpret normal television. So if I were to get so ill that I’m totally delusional, Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! would either appear extraordinarily fucked up or translate into Seinfeld.
To give an example to those who haven’t seen it, here’s quick clip of what I’m talking about, but I suggest you check out the entire episode, if you have 10min to kill. Though the first three are all you really need.
After posting my last comments, I was reminded of an excellent example of how grossly deceptive a trailer can be versus it’s source material. I don’t know if any of you are fans of Highlander or if you’ve seen the movie Highlander: Endgame. But it’s okay, because you don’t have to in this case. Check out the trailer here:
When I first saw it in the theater, I thought, “Wow! That looks fucking awesome! The heroes jumping through dimensional portals… A villain that’s some immortal telekinetic wizard with magic crystal balls and shit… Even ninja powers like splitting into two guys! The movie doesn’t come out for three months; where can I buy tickets now??”
Fast forward to my buddies and I going to see the movie on opening night. Guess what. No dimensional portals. No stopping swords in mid-air. No splitting into two guys. Just five seperate plots, all boring. I was pissed and confused… Were there two Highlander movies that came out that night and I saw the wrong one? Years later, I did some research and it turns out that the footage that I saw in the trailer was filmed specifically for the trailer. It was a bunch of completely unrelated shots that the studio produced in order to make the movie look cooler than it was and draw people to see it. So essentially, I was lied to about the movie.
Am I saying that Capcom is trying to also lie to us with the Street Fighter IV trailer? No way! But what I am saying is that we should not take this trailer at face value. It’s job is to create attention and excitement about the game…not give us insight into the final product. It won’t be until much later in it’s development before we get any kind of look at what’s to come. I just hope that they keep us as up to speed as they have been with us for SSF2HD Remix, thanks to the likes of David Sirlin.
I saw this cartoon spoofing Power Rangers the other night and I thought it was pretty funny. But then, most things that are touched by Egorapter usually are.
I confess, I watched the first couple seasons of Power Rangers when I was in high school. It’s a guilty pleasure. Saw the movie. In the theaters. But only to make fun of it. It’s one of the few moments in life I look back and wished I were also high at the time. When my buddies and I would goof around, we’d act out silly Power Ranger spoofs of our own. Heh, though, one of us still thinks he’s a Power Ranger…
Watching that cartoon got me wondering what ever happened to the original cast of that show. I know that the black ranger is still in acting, cuz I see him every now and again on a TV show. But for the rest, I did a quit bit of checking out their IMDB and Wikipedia entries. The red ranger got fat. The blue ranger’s balding. The pink ranger is a musician, but all her recent photos are blurred to hide that she’s 37.
When I got to the yellow ranger, I paused. She was looking really good in her Wikipedia photo. I thought either she hasn’t aged a day in the past 10 years or they just used an old photograph. I began to read the file and found that there’s a good reason for that: She’s dead. Died in a car accident a few years ago. I thought, “Well, I guess that’s the final nail in the coffin for the 15-year reunion next year.” (No pun intended…or was it?) I was surprised, wondering why I hadn’t heard of something like that. Something in the depths of my memory tells me that I probably had heard about it from a buddy, but most likely passed it off as just a rumor. Or maybe I knew and just forgot.
Anyway, the green ranger runs his own martial arts school, but gives me the vibe that he’s a lot like some slimy asshole club owner. I don’t really know what Bulk and Skull are up to, but last I heard, Bulk got into 3D graphics. The guy who ran the juice bar actually lived in Riverside, CA and I’ve seen him in person a couple times in passing while at the mall. I don’t know what he’s doing, but I read that he has severe heart, weight, and drinking problems.
One thing that always got me is that Power Rangers did something like Star Trek, in that they wanted to demonstrate racial equality, but how they did it turned out to be more racist than if they tried nothing. They had each ranger represent a different race, each also playing out their ethic background to it’s fullest extent. No real cultural blending at all…which is absurd considering they went to a high school in Southern California. Then they also made the subtle association of their race with which color ranger they were. The Black Ranger was black, the Yellow Ranger was asian, the Red Ranger was a redneck, and so on…
I’ll tell ya, it’s just another one of those things that make me feel old to realize that Power Rangers first came out 15 years ago. On this final note, I got to thinking that after being on the air for that long, they’ve accumulated a hell of a lot of characters… rangers, villains, monsters, supporting cast, etc. So I thought that would be an excellent basis to develop a multi-player online game based on the Power Rangers. They could call it the MMPR MMORPG! LOLOMGBBQ!!!
