Plus, I like kitties.
(The whole picture doesn't quite fit, but if you click on it, you can see the whole thing.)
more cat pictures
27 July 2008
I don't usually post this sort of thing . . .
. . . but this one sums up my feelings about the world right now.
Plus, I like kitties.
(The whole picture doesn't quite fit, but if you click on it, you can see the whole thing.)
more cat pictures
Plus, I like kitties.
(The whole picture doesn't quite fit, but if you click on it, you can see the whole thing.)
more cat pictures
22 July 2008
Michael rates the superhero movies . . .
. . . with brief commentary.
(I'm not writing about poetry. Fuck poetry. I quit poetry. I'd rather make a list of superhero movies.)
(This list includes only those films released since 2000, so the older Superman and Batman films are not included. Also, I'm only including superheroes that existed when I was a little kid, because I don't care so much about the other ones. Though I like Hellboy.)
1. X-Men (2000)
This still holds up really well, I think. It's well cast, well acted, has a good story, is often aesthetically striking, and has soul. The reconceptualization of the Rogue character is still brilliant and moving, and this Wolverine is also an improvement over the comics version. Also: Rebecca Romijn wearing little besides blue paint! What more do you want in a movie?
2. Batman Begins (2005)
This movie saved Batman's cinematic life. Well cast, well acted, and often ingenious in its subtle reinvention of the Batman character. Goes just far enough in making Batman quasi-realistic while maintaining the mythic quality. Christian Bale is just right as Batman, and I still think Katie Holmes is a better Rachel than Maggie Gyllenhaal. Yes, I like this better than its successor.
3. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Much more satisfying than its predecessor. Excellent script, with the use of the web as metaphor for the connectedness Peter has to embrace. A nice balance of action and pathos. Again, casting is key; Maguire again proves he's just right for this character. Raimi's direction is still too broad and hamfisted, but the script compensates nicely.
4. X2 (2003)
A bit too much video-game-style action for my taste, and just a bit too busy in general, but this is still a really good film. The story is good, as are the performances. For me, this one doesn't quite have the same soul-quality as the first one, and I don't think the look of it is quite as sharp as its predecessor's.
5. The Dark Knight (2008)
A very impressive film, but I think it goes too far in the realism direction, losing the mythic aspect of the Batman. Ledger is indeed brilliant, but the movie is just too grim and bleak. Also, I find the first film's psychological theme more interesting than this one's moral theme. And I didn't like Gyllenhaal as Rachel; her Rachel is kind of mean. I wasn't too sorry to see her go. (Though I like Gyllenhaal otherwise.) All in all, I can't say I really want to ever see this one again, even though it's number 5 on the list.
6. Spider-Man (2008)
This one is flawed: the special effects are often poor, the action scenes disappointing. Dafoe's performance is hammy and grating. But Maguire is perfectly cast, as is Dunst, and Raimi gets the basic emotions right. It's a fun movie, though it is eclipsed by its successor. Mainly, this is the one that brought Spidey to the big screen, so you've gotta love it for that reason.
7. Superman Returns (2006)
Routh is no Reeve, but he's watchable, and Bosworth is a big improvement over Kidder (though who wouldn't be?). There are three main flaws with this often poetic reboot of the Superman franchise. One, there's not enough Superman in it. Two, Spacey is suprisingly sucky as Luthor. Three, and most important, this movie features possibly the worst idea ever in the history of screenwriting: Superman has a little moppet-headed sitcom kid. Bad, bad, bad idea. Did anyone actually think, "You know, I like Superman, but he'd be even cooler if he were a dad"? Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad idea. Still, I like the continuation of the Donner elements, and the part where Superman falls to earth after pushing the landmass into space is really good.
8. Hulk (2003)
Give Ang Lee a break. This is not nearly as bad as people say. It's actually an ingenious attempt to give the character some emotional weight, and it's often poetic. And it has Jennifer Connelly in it. To me, the big flaw is Nick Nolte. I guess I just don't like Nick Nolte.
9. X-Men 3: The Last Stand (2006)
It still saddens me that Singer abandoned this to do Superman Returns. It saddens me more that they let Brett Ratner direct in spite of protests by the fans. The worst part about this is the ridiculously short running time; presumably, that was done in order to squeeze one more showing into the schedule at the theater. Way too short, and totally lacking the emotion and poetry of the Singer films, this is, nevertheless, still the same cast, so it's not all bad. But wtf were they thinking to kill Cyclops and Professor X?
10. Spider-Man 3
This is what happens when Raimi doesn't have a good script to balance his hamfisted directing. Mediocre all the way through. But it still has Spider-Man in it, not to mention Kirsten Dunst, so it's worth watching. Once.
11. Fantastic Four (2005)
Tim Story makes Sam Raimi look like Ingmar friggin Bergman. How do you fuck up the Fantastic Four? Watch and learn. Chiklis is good as the Thing, but the rest of the actors are sadly miscast. I like looking at Jessica Alba just as much as the next guy, but she's not Sue Storm Richards, and the British guy from Horatio Hornblower is really miscast as Reed Richards. Mostly, it's just a bad script and hack directing.
12. Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
As above, but more so.
I have not seen Iron Man or the new Hulk movie.
Now, if you want to see some genuinely pleasing filmmaking, here's an animated short called "The Cat Came Back." I used to really like this back in the day. Enjoy.
(I'm not writing about poetry. Fuck poetry. I quit poetry. I'd rather make a list of superhero movies.)
(This list includes only those films released since 2000, so the older Superman and Batman films are not included. Also, I'm only including superheroes that existed when I was a little kid, because I don't care so much about the other ones. Though I like Hellboy.)
1. X-Men (2000)
This still holds up really well, I think. It's well cast, well acted, has a good story, is often aesthetically striking, and has soul. The reconceptualization of the Rogue character is still brilliant and moving, and this Wolverine is also an improvement over the comics version. Also: Rebecca Romijn wearing little besides blue paint! What more do you want in a movie?
2. Batman Begins (2005)
This movie saved Batman's cinematic life. Well cast, well acted, and often ingenious in its subtle reinvention of the Batman character. Goes just far enough in making Batman quasi-realistic while maintaining the mythic quality. Christian Bale is just right as Batman, and I still think Katie Holmes is a better Rachel than Maggie Gyllenhaal. Yes, I like this better than its successor.
3. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Much more satisfying than its predecessor. Excellent script, with the use of the web as metaphor for the connectedness Peter has to embrace. A nice balance of action and pathos. Again, casting is key; Maguire again proves he's just right for this character. Raimi's direction is still too broad and hamfisted, but the script compensates nicely.
4. X2 (2003)
A bit too much video-game-style action for my taste, and just a bit too busy in general, but this is still a really good film. The story is good, as are the performances. For me, this one doesn't quite have the same soul-quality as the first one, and I don't think the look of it is quite as sharp as its predecessor's.
5. The Dark Knight (2008)
A very impressive film, but I think it goes too far in the realism direction, losing the mythic aspect of the Batman. Ledger is indeed brilliant, but the movie is just too grim and bleak. Also, I find the first film's psychological theme more interesting than this one's moral theme. And I didn't like Gyllenhaal as Rachel; her Rachel is kind of mean. I wasn't too sorry to see her go. (Though I like Gyllenhaal otherwise.) All in all, I can't say I really want to ever see this one again, even though it's number 5 on the list.
6. Spider-Man (2008)
This one is flawed: the special effects are often poor, the action scenes disappointing. Dafoe's performance is hammy and grating. But Maguire is perfectly cast, as is Dunst, and Raimi gets the basic emotions right. It's a fun movie, though it is eclipsed by its successor. Mainly, this is the one that brought Spidey to the big screen, so you've gotta love it for that reason.
7. Superman Returns (2006)
Routh is no Reeve, but he's watchable, and Bosworth is a big improvement over Kidder (though who wouldn't be?). There are three main flaws with this often poetic reboot of the Superman franchise. One, there's not enough Superman in it. Two, Spacey is suprisingly sucky as Luthor. Three, and most important, this movie features possibly the worst idea ever in the history of screenwriting: Superman has a little moppet-headed sitcom kid. Bad, bad, bad idea. Did anyone actually think, "You know, I like Superman, but he'd be even cooler if he were a dad"? Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad idea. Still, I like the continuation of the Donner elements, and the part where Superman falls to earth after pushing the landmass into space is really good.
8. Hulk (2003)
Give Ang Lee a break. This is not nearly as bad as people say. It's actually an ingenious attempt to give the character some emotional weight, and it's often poetic. And it has Jennifer Connelly in it. To me, the big flaw is Nick Nolte. I guess I just don't like Nick Nolte.
9. X-Men 3: The Last Stand (2006)
It still saddens me that Singer abandoned this to do Superman Returns. It saddens me more that they let Brett Ratner direct in spite of protests by the fans. The worst part about this is the ridiculously short running time; presumably, that was done in order to squeeze one more showing into the schedule at the theater. Way too short, and totally lacking the emotion and poetry of the Singer films, this is, nevertheless, still the same cast, so it's not all bad. But wtf were they thinking to kill Cyclops and Professor X?
10. Spider-Man 3
This is what happens when Raimi doesn't have a good script to balance his hamfisted directing. Mediocre all the way through. But it still has Spider-Man in it, not to mention Kirsten Dunst, so it's worth watching. Once.
11. Fantastic Four (2005)
Tim Story makes Sam Raimi look like Ingmar friggin Bergman. How do you fuck up the Fantastic Four? Watch and learn. Chiklis is good as the Thing, but the rest of the actors are sadly miscast. I like looking at Jessica Alba just as much as the next guy, but she's not Sue Storm Richards, and the British guy from Horatio Hornblower is really miscast as Reed Richards. Mostly, it's just a bad script and hack directing.
12. Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
As above, but more so.
I have not seen Iron Man or the new Hulk movie.
Now, if you want to see some genuinely pleasing filmmaking, here's an animated short called "The Cat Came Back." I used to really like this back in the day. Enjoy.
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