My Big Rant about Spider-Man (in development)

Ok. So. This morning I woke up and I decided I’m tired.  Even though I had just woken up.  Tired of trying to enjoy the exploits of my long-time favorite superhero.  This is not a rant about the horribleness of the “One More Day” storyline or what it did to Spider-Man.  I’ve already covered that, long ago. (But here’s a quick (and funny) rundown, if anyone needs to catch up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDF52sDD_78&feature=related).

So, One More Day is over.  Brand New Day is over.  There have been numerous storylines that have started, ended, left hanging, etc.  Currently they’re drudging up some old story about Ben Reilly (aka the clone) that seems kindof interesting.  But here’s why I’m still disappointed – bad storytelling.  Yes, nobody remembers Peter’s identity.  And by nobody, I mean NOBODY.  Harry Osborn? Nope!  Norman Osborn?  NOPE!  Black Cat for whatever reason has no clue.  Even though he revealed his identity a loooooong as time ago.  In events that had nothing to do with Civil War or Mary Jane or anything.  Not only that, but now they constantly have shitty throw-away lines like “it’s really dark, so there’s no way Harry/Felicia could’ve seen my face.” WTF.  What the Fucking Fuck?  How old are you guys who write this?  I love the Black Cat.  Seeing this cover made me quite excited:

Woah, a blast from the past!  Finally, after bringing Mary Jane back into the fold, now Black Cat comes!  Cool!  But the truth of the matter is this:  Mary Jane remembers he’s Spider-Man.  And she is barely in the book at all.  She’s on a list of about 5 people Peter Parker is boning (Black Cat is also on that list).  That’s his former wife, partner, best friend, the lady of his life.  Reduced to another notch on the belt.  I guess that’s the thing that still upsets me about this new Spider-Man.  Yes, they did Brand New Day for a reason.  Aunt May is alive, Harry is alive.  Neither are really in the book in any significant way.  It’s frustrating.  And the writing suffers from such gimmicks as “oh no! my webshooters aren’t working” and “I’m glad nobody saw my face because it was so dark” !  Sloppy and lazy.  And yet I’m still giving them my money, 3x a month.  Why?  I’m on the edge of quitting the damn book.  I already quite the Hulk because of Jeph Loeb’s sloppy storytelling.  Damn.

NYC – September 2009

Here are some images from my very recent trip to New York City:

Construction Crane at Ground Zero

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Ten Truck

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High Line Sky

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Pink is the new Pink

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Lost in the Background

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Love and Music

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False Positive

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With a Little Bit of Luck

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Flat Iron

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It’s Not About What You See

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Me on the set of “Rescue Me” – thanks Doug from props, you made the insane subway ride to Queens worthwhile!

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Memorial for the 343

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Child’s artwork in the 9/11 Museum

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Guy: “So where are you from?”

Me: “Staten Island, originally, but been in South Carolina a few years now.”

Guy: “Ah, Joe Wilson country.”

Me: *sigh*

- That’s a special thanks to you, Mr. Wilson.  Thanks. A lot. Jerk.

new Robin Williams movie

Let’s face it, there hasn’t been a decent Robin Williams movie in a long time.  Which makes me all the more excited about this movie, because it actually looks promising.  I hope it is.  Here’s a reminder of a really excellent Robin Williams film:

Wow, I actually dont hate Jake Lloyd anymore

Watch this:

Man.  Jake Lloyd, you are not such a bad guy after all.  Taking a year off from school, working, trying to make some green, checking out hot chicks, playing KOTR.  Mad props, my friend.  You’ve come a long way from the little kid in that film.

Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli

Asterios Polyp is a graphic novel by comic book artist David Mazzucchelli.  Published in 2009, it is hardly his first foray into the comic world, as his previous work in Daredevil and Batman: Year One have garnered him much acclaim.  In Asterios Polyp however, he really shines.  Full of inventiveness, it reminded me most of Craig Thompson’s masterpiece Blankets (click here to learn more about that) – full of hard honesty enhanced by a unique and interesting artistic style.  Those styles, however, could not be more different.  Whereas Blankets had a very draft-like quality to the line, Asterios Polyp is very symmetrical and clean-feeling.  My guess is that this style reflects the views of the titular character in the novel, who is himself an architect.  Another thing that stands out in this work is the wonderful use of color; not in a normal way, but in an almost homage to “pop art”.  Last and certainly not least, the story itself is both intricate and involving.  Yes, it deals with relationships and people and change and possible reconciliation, but in such a way that feels realistic while not shutting out the imaginative and surreal.  You can check it out on amazon.com.

Below are some examples of David Mazzucchelli’s work on Batman and Daredevil:

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Indeed.  Good art is hard to come by these days.

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” Love. Trust. Respect. Take any one of those away and the whole thing falls apart.” - Manana on love (from Asterios Polyp)

“Moon” – movie review

Ok so I’m going to attempt to give a review of the movie “Moon” without any spoilers.  But be warned, I may screw up and spoil something, so FYI in advance.  Click the pic above to watch the trailer.

“Moon” was a phenomenal movie starring Sam Rockwell and directed by Duncan Jones AKA David Bowie Jr.  In the film Rockwell plays the character “Sam” who is contracted by Lunar Industries  to stay on the moon for 3 years mining “Helium-3″ – a particle that helped create clean and abundant energy back on Earth.   Except for a robotic companion named Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey) Sam is all alone.  Left behind on Earth are his wife and daughter, whom he misses very much.  Sam is about to wrap up his 3-year duration and at last end his isolation when, while on a routine check on the moon’s surface, he discovers someone else, someone that seems quite familiar.  That’s all I can say on the plot without massive spoilage and believe me, this is one movie you do not want spoiled!

What I can say is that this movie is a welcomed breath of originality in a summer filled with sequels, eye-candy, and Bruno, which I’m pretty sure warrants its own category.  Make no mistake, this is an original hard science fiction movie, but one that is done tastefully and with heavy attention to emotion and character.  The movie hinges on Sam Rockwell’s performance and he manages to pull it off pitch-perfectly, hitting subtle nuances of loneliness and possible near-psychosis that can be pretty heart-breaking to watch.  The movie also focuses on the idea of “identity” – who we are and the “value” of our lives.  I know that sounds like a lot for one film, but it really is all there in this one.  Certainly check it out if you’re in the mood for something different and thought-provoking.

new News and neat Mario shtuff

So our Govenor (unfortunately) decided to disappear for four days and tell no one of his plans to go…. hiking?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/22/mark-sanford-disappeared_n_219139.html

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And then we have some really bitchin’ Mario art.  Especially check out Anthony Jones’ hyper-realistic Mario interpretations!

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Geek News Galore

In preparation for the upcoming (ie: tomorrow) new Ghostbusters video game that is also a Ghostbusters sequel (squee!) I’ve found these incredibly nerdy yet also interesting articles on overhtinkingit.com.  The first one examines a very risky financial business plan for starting-up the Ghostbusters.  The second link is a somewhat comparison between Ghostbusters 2 and the beginnings of the AIDS epidemic.  It doesnt say that any of the comparisons were intended, but they are quite interesting nontheless.

JCVD – Review

So, I’m not the biggest Jean Claude Van Damme fan in the world.  Sure, Bloodsport was awesome, and as much flak as I get for it, I actually liked the Street Fighter movie (c’mon, Raul Julia was in it! Gomez Adams!) .  But after the horribleness that was Double Team, I gave up on him.  Rampant reports of cocaine use only added fuel to the fire.  He’s recently been showing up again, off the coke and in some decent movies such as In Hell so, being as I hadn’t completely written him off, I decided to give JCVD a chance.  Man, was I surprised.  Not only can he act, but he can act very well, and does a great job in this role.  In the film, Van Damme plays a fictional-ish version of himself, a washed up actor who is losing his roles to Steven Seagal and just recently lost his kid to his ex-wife.  Things aren’t looking up for him when he returns to Belgium and, going to the bank, stumbles upon a bank heist.  Through some confusion, the police believe him to be mastermind behind the bank robbery and it goes from there.  Sounds pretty basic, but the plot is really a vehicle for Van Damme to vette a bit on his life, foibles and all.  In one very Charlie Chaplin-Great-Dictator-esque scene, he even goes so far as to address his drug problems and the pitfalls of international superstardom.  All of it feels very real and gritty, and I can applaud Jean Claude for having the balls to do a role like this. 

The film is backed by great production value.  Sound and music is all top notch with a very mo-town/funky score.  Occasionally the film is a bit too needlessly indie for my taste, but it can be overlooked because of the great content.  It’s certainly worth the price of admission and worth looking into.

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” Now who wants to go home? AND WHO WANTS TO GO WITH ME?!?”

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PS: This is funny:

Funny People trailer

Watch this:

Now. Let’s examine the good things about this trailer ala bullet-point style:

• Judd Apatow
• Seth Rogen
• Adam Sandler and it NOT being a kids movie
• Jason Schwartzman
• Eric Bana (hey, shut up, I like the guy.  Screw “Hulk” go watch “Munich” and THEN tell me you don’t like him)

Ok, too many bullet points.  Basically, I enjoy movies that seem like the main actor is poking fun at themselves.  Semi-autobiographical, if you will.  “Lost in Translation” being a wonderful example.  What, you havent seen that either?  Jesus, get out more.  Here. Yes, I know Bill Murray isn’t really playing himself.  But maybe he is, just a little.  And I love that in a movie.  Even Julia Roberts playing an worldwide famous actress in “Notting Hill” (yes, I saw Notting Hill, sue me) – I can respect that.  It seems to me that that is what Adam Sandler, and maybe even Seth Rogen, are doing here, and I look forward to it.  Now just have Rob Schneider pop up and you’ve got a hit. 

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” The more you know who you are and what you want, the less you let things upset you. “ – Bob Harris (Bill Murray) from “Lost in Translation”