Corey Sosner :: First Round
Jerry Smith sent me a link to First Round a fan film starring and produced by Corey Sosner. The film stars Marvel characters Wolverine and The Punisher. The script and cinematography are pretty solid. For what I suppose is a no/low-budget film, the special effects were surprisingly good. However, performances are uneven. Sosner plays a passable Punisher. Eric von Sydow looks the part of Wolverine, but is a bit too terse and growling. Yeah, Wolvie is on the edge and runs on animal instinct, but the character has evolved to incorporate a wider range than just smoldering rage.
In addition, the fight coreography was weak. The fights looked slow and overly coreographed. I would assume that no one in the production has much martial arts experience and no stage combat experience. Not that I am expert, but at several key points, the actors did not “sell” the violence. This is critical in an action movie with superheroes in play.
Finally, a general note about fan fiction, particularly in the comic book genre. If looking to do a fan film, why would one choose characters that Hollywood has already done and, at least in Wolvie’s case, done well? Sure, there is an established fan base, but that is strictly a business decision, not an artistic one. Eric von Sydow is sure to invite comparison to Hugh Jackman, and that is a battle he won’t win. Sosner’s Punisher is better than Dolph Lundgren’s but, though I have not seen it yet, I am sure Thomas Jane’s Punisher is stronger and deeper.
So far, only one such fan film has looked as good or better than anything Hollywood has produced to date. That film was: Dead End, a Batman film by Sandy Collora. It remains the truest adaptation of Frank Miller’s Dark Knight yet. Early word on Batman Begins is good, but until it’s release Dead End is the best Batman film ever made in my book.
Were I to make a comic fan film, I think I would choose one of the more fringe characters who’ve yet to be touched by Hollywood. I might even choose a few that have been in development hell (Black Panther, Power Man & Iron Fist, Dr. Strange, Ghost Rider, Jonah Hex, Nightwing, etc). This way, one still has the fan base (perhaps even a more eager base) while still being the first on celluloid (or DV) to interpret the characters in live action. Now, that is an opportunity.
Napolean Dynamite … Better than chatting online with babes.
Jordan saw a sneak preview last week and could not stop quoting the film in character. So, I signed up for the next free screening in Vegas last night. It was worth the ridiculously long line to get in.
All of the sweetness of Sixteen Candles. All of the smarts of Ferris Beuller’s Day Off. All of the quirkiness of Beavis and Butthead Do America. Mix in a bit of the randomness of an episode of Kids in the Hall and you have Napoleon Dynamite.
From the masterfully understated art direction to the dead-on deadpan of Jon Heder in the title role, I cannot think of a movie I’ve enjoyed more in the last five years (Lord of the Rings trilogy aside).
No performance is off, everyone nails their weird characters brilliantly. There has never been a better portrayal of the completely unaware dorkiness of fringe teenagers. Most importantly, the film follows no clear Hollywood formula which makes the jokes and storytelling devices entirely fresh and surprising. Napoleon Dynamite puts Dodgeball, White Chicks and every other big studio comedy of the last 3-5 years to shame. It is an instant classic.
See it now before you are sick of people quoting it at the office cooler. Soon, you will be considering a master class in Rex Kwon Do and chatting with babes online all day like Napoleon’s older brother Kip.
Batman: Dead End
Some of you may have already seen this short film at the San Diego Comic Con this past summer, or downloaded it off the Net since then, but seeing as the next installment of the BATMAN movie series is rarin’ to go, we thought we’d get the hype-machine started on Mr. Wayne and his alter-ego, with a presentation of an extremely cool, well…I’d call it a “short action sequence”, featuring Batman, The Joker, Alien and Predators?? Hand to God, they all make groovy appearances in this dark little flick and let me tell you, these are 8 minutes that you won’t soon forget! Head on over to TheForce.net’s FanFilms section to download your copy now.
Wow.
/me is humbled by the vision and skill of the crew over at Collora Studios.
Holiday Movies – Part 02
As with Thanksgiving, the Christmas/New Year’s break is a generally a time of much rejoicing and movie-going in the Daulton household. This year was no exception. Below, you will find my thoughts on the films I’ve taken in this holiday season.
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King :: What can I say? As good as the first two were, RoTK was even better. There were a few sequences that felt light, but I’ve come to think of the theatrical release of the LoTR films as public previews of Peter Jackson’s actual vision which appears on the extended edition DVDs. So, I enjoyed the film regardless. I look forward to seeing it at least one more time in the theater. If Jackson and/or this film do not win an Oscar, there is a real problem.
Cold Mountain :: I’d read this book and was interested in seeing it brought to film. Anthony Minghella did not disappoint. Visually, it is a gorgeous film thanks to John Seale. Nicole Kidman and Jude Law give strong performances which I enjoyed, but Ren�e Zellweger and Kathy Baker really deserve Oscar consideration. Both showed what can be done with strong, rich roles for women. Natalie Portman and Gionvanni Ribisi were pleasant surprises in their brief appearances.
Paycheck :: I hate to admit it, but Ben Affleck is growing on me. I am starting to agree with Kevin Smith, who believes Affleck can play any role credibly. That said, Paycheck is a relatively faithful adaptation of the short story by Philip K. Dick, this film was great holiday fun but not John Woo’s best work. On a more base note, is it just me or is Uma Thurman getting hotter since she showed Ethan Hawke the door?
The Last Samurai :: I am still no big Tom Cruise fan, but this film was great. Well-scripted and beautifully shot, I particularly enjoyed the training and battle scenes. They felt authentic. Discussions of the samurai ethos were just right. So many films dealing with this subject matter are heavy handed. For a big budget Hollywood project, they used the principles of wabi and sabi reasonably well in the production.
Just Married [DVD] :: Good silly fun. And, any man who does not like watching Brittany Murphy on celluloid is just plain dead.
Bad Boys 2 [DVD] :: A typical, big budget Bruckenheimer actioner. It was OK. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence had one really funny scene confronting the boyfriend of Lawrence’s teenage daughter. Gabrielle Union was gorgeous as always, but I think she has better, deeper roles in her.
Seabiscuit [DVD] :: I wanted to see this in the theater, but missed it during my move to Vegas and subsequent acclimation period. I grew up around horse racing and the track and all I can say is “Wow”. This film is amazing. It is visually beautiful and powerfully yet subtly acted. Tobey Maguire stretches his muscles beyond Spiderman. Jeff Bridges is excellent, as always, as an American everyman who makes good. And, Chris Cooper proves once again why he deserved his Oscar nod for last year’s Adaptation.
Holiday Movies – Part 01
Movie-going is a bit of a holiday tradition in my family. This Thanksgiving was no exception. Here are my thoughts on the three major releases I’ve seen so far.
The Missing :: This movie was excellent. Tommy Lee Jones delivers a strong, nuanced performance. As ever, Cate Blanchett is excellent. She and Gwyneth Paltrow are in a dead heat for the finest female actors of my generation. Val Kilmer also appears in what amounts to a cameo. Ron Howard pulls together another strong film. Check it out.
Gothika :: Halle Berry can act. She gets a lot of grief for being just a pretty face. Monster’s Ball showed she can act; this film extends that legacy. Don’t get me wrong, this is no great cinematic feat. It is a supernatural pot-boiler and, in truth, is rather formulaic. That said, strong performances by Berry and Penelope Cruz make this film worth your time and theater dollar.
Cat in The Hat (CitH) :: Don’t bother. Most of the funny stuff can be found in the trailer. This movie is easily my biggest movie-going disappointment since the over-glossy, inappropriately homo-erotic piece of tripe that was Batman and Robin. I curse the day Joel Schumacher became involved with the Batman franchise. But, I digress.
I am a huge Mike Meyers fan. That said, CitH was weak and derivative. Jim Carrey managed to get lost (in a good way) behind the green fur of The Grinch. Regrettably, CitH plays like a sanitized, dumbed-down SNL skit with Meyers in a furry suit. Sad really.
