list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Spider-Man 2 on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Spider_Man_2/223993/default.aspx Title: Spider-Man 2
Year: 2007
Director: Sam Raimi
Plot: Stan Lee's all-too-human superhero returns to the screen in this highly anticipated sequel to 2002's blockbuster hit Spider-Man. Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is attempting to juggle college classes and his job as a photographer with the Daily Bugle while maintaining his secret life as costumed crime-fighter Spider-Man. Parker is also struggling to hold on to his relationship with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), who is beginning to enjoy success as a model and actress, and both Mary Jane and Peter have noticed he's beginning to buckle under the strain. Parker's friendship with Harry Osborn (James Franco) is also beginning to fray due to Peter's seeming alliance with Spider-Man, whom Harry blames for the death of his father, the nefarious Norman Osborn. As Parker weighs his responsibilities to himself and those around him against the obligations that come with his special powers, Spider-Man is faced with a new nemesis -- Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), a deranged scientist whose latest project has turned him into the near-invincible cyborg Doctor Octopus. Spider-Man 2 was directed by Sam Raimi, who helmed the first film, and much of the original cast has also reunited for this sequel, including Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, and Bruce Campbell. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 19
Number of Lists: 108
Number of blog posts: 6
Number of discussion threads: 5
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Tue, 12 May 2009 02:37:20 GMTSpider-Man 22007Sam Raimi<a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P____99176/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Stan Lee</a>'s all-too-human superhero returns to the screen in this highly anticipated sequel to 2002's blockbuster hit <a href="http://www.spout.com/films/205724/detail.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Spider-Man</a>. Peter Parker (<a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P___196872/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Tobey Maguire</a>) is attempting to juggle college classes and his job as a photographer with the <I>Daily Bugle</I> while maintaining his secret life as costumed crime-fighter Spider-Man. Parker is also struggling to hold on to his relationship with Mary Jane Watson (<a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P____20669/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Kirsten Dunst</a>), who is beginning to enjoy success as a model and actress, and both Mary Jane and Peter have noticed he's beginning to buckle under the strain. Parker's friendship with Harry Osborn (<a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P___299361/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>James Franco</a>) is also beginning to fray due to Peter's seeming alliance with Spider-Man, whom Harry blames for the death of his father, the nefarious Norman Osborn. As Parker weighs his responsibilities to himself and those around him against the obligations that come with his special powers, Spider-Man is faced with a new nemesis -- Dr. Otto Octavius (<a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P____49914/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Alfred Molina</a>), a deranged scientist whose latest project has turned him into the near-invincible cyborg Doctor Octopus. Spider-Man 2 was directed by <a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P___107427/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Sam Raimi</a>, who helmed the first film, and much of the original cast has also reunited for this sequel, including <a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P____30676/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Rosemary Harris</a>, J.K. Simmons, and <a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P____10476/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Bruce Campbell</a>. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide19Tag Target (>10)108653http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t48847wvg7j.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Spider_Man_2/223993/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/the_mow/archive/2009/4/27/41782.aspx Post By: The_MOW
Post To: The_MOW Blog
Post Date: 4/27/2009 10:50:27 AM
Body: Set two years after "Spider-Man's" origin and battle with the late "Norman Osbourne/Green Goblin," (Willem Dafoe, who returns in a cameo) the story of "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" continues in a fair sequel featuring the villian called "Doctor Octopuss" (Alfred Molina). Most of the main characters in the first film are back, with the addition of "Peter Parker's" (Tobey McGuire) college Professor and "Dr. Otto Octavius/Dr. Octopuss". Most of whom have their own personal problems. One problem that is not clearly defined is the reason "Peter" keeps losing his powers for brief periods during the movie. I could not figure out if it was the explosion that turned "Dr. Octavius" into "Doc Ock," which "Peter" witnesses, or another reason that is not explained. One of the best parts of the movie is that JK Simmons, who stole scenes in the first film as "Daily Bugle" Editor-In-Cheif "J Jonah 'JJ' Jameson," is a more major character in this movie. "JJ's" son, who gets engaged to "Mary Jane Watson" (Kirstin Dunst). His best scenes are in "JJ's" office at the "Bugle". Molina, on the other hand, was a bit stale as "Doc Ock". He didn't seem all too menacing or maniacal as somebody who lost control of his mind should have in my opinion. Another disapointment, and this is a minor one that has no impact in the plot of the movie, was the cameo of "Spider-Man" creator, Stan "The Man" Lee. His cameo was so short, that if you blink you will miss it - which I almost did. The visuals in this movie were pretty outstanding. Watching "Spidey" swinging his webs to get around New York City were as amazing as they were in the first movie. The fight scenes were also well done and shot very well. This movie would have been probably better if somebody other than Molina was in the role of the villian. Despite Molina, this movie is pretty good, but I wouldn't put it on your "Must See" list. In my opinion, it's the look of the movie, and most of the characters, that make this movie a decent sequel to a very good super-hero movie. I do recommend it, but don't expect a perfect movie
]]>Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:50:27 GMTThe_MOWThe_MOW Blog4/27/2009 10:50:27 AMSet two years after "Spider-Man's" origin and battle with the late "Norman Osbourne/Green Goblin," (Willem Dafoe, who returns in a cameo) the story of "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" continues in a fair sequel featuring the villian called "Doctor Octopuss" (Alfred Molina). Most of the main characters in the first film are back, with the addition of "Peter Parker's" (Tobey McGuire) college Professor and "Dr. Otto Octavius/Dr. Octopuss". Most of whom have their own personal problems. One problem that is not clearly defined is the reason "Peter" keeps losing his powers for brief periods during the movie. I could not figure out if it was the explosion that turned "Dr. Octavius" into "Doc Ock," which "Peter" witnesses, or another reason that is not explained. One of the best parts of the movie is that JK Simmons, who stole scenes in the first film as "Daily Bugle" Editor-In-Cheif "J Jonah 'JJ' Jameson," is a more major character in this movie. "JJ's" son, who gets engaged to "Mary Jane Watson" (Kirstin Dunst). His best scenes are in "JJ's" office at the "Bugle". Molina, on the other hand, was a bit stale as "Doc Ock". He didn't seem all too menacing or maniacal as somebody who lost control of his mind should have in my opinion. Another disapointment, and this is a minor one that has no impact in the plot of the movie, was the cameo of "Spider-Man" creator, Stan "The Man" Lee. His cameo was so short, that if you blink you will miss it - which I almost did. The visuals in this movie were pretty outstanding. Watching "Spidey" swinging his webs to get around New York City were as amazing as they were in the first movie. The fight scenes were also well done and shot very well. This movie would have been probably better if somebody other than Molina was in the role of the villian. Despite Molina, this movie is pretty good, but I wouldn't put it on your "Must See" list. In my opinion, it's the look of the movie, and most of the characters, that make this movie a decent sequel to a very good super-hero movie. I do recommend it, but don't expect a perfect movie http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_February_9_Public_Transportat/625/40372/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: mercurial
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 2/10/2009 3:47:32 AM
Body: The closing scene of The Graduate. The bus Will Farrell never misses in Stranger Than Fiction. The train packed full of hippies in Festival Express. The train systems of India in Slumdog Millionaire and The Darjeeling Limited. The zeppelin in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The commuter train where Spider-Man fights Dr. Octopus in Spider-Man 2. Anna Faris using the bus for the first time in Smiley Face.
]]>Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:47:32 GMTmercurialWeekly Theme2/10/2009 3:47:32 AMThe closing scene of The Graduate. The bus Will Farrell never misses in Stranger Than Fiction. The train packed full of hippies in Festival Express. The train systems of India in Slumdog Millionaire and The Darjeeling Limited. The zeppelin in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The commuter train where Spider-Man fights Dr. Octopus in Spider-Man 2. Anna Faris using the bus for the first time in Smiley Face. http://www.spout.com/blogs/scswngr/archive/2008/7/19/32757.aspx Post By: scswngr
Post To: Film Obsessed
Post Date: 7/19/2008 8:41:12 AM
Body: The Dark Knight is everything it has been advertised to be: exciting, captivating, and enthralling. It is the first major category Oscar worthy movie I have seen in 2008, and not just for the gripping and chilling final performance of Heath Ledger, who certainly deserves a Best Supporting Actor nod. This Batman movie bests all of its predecessors. It is the best Super-Hero sequel movie i have ever seen, and may just be worthy of a Best Picture nomination come January 2009. Sequel success is not a new thing in Hollywood, but more often then not Super-Hero follow ups fall short of their first chapters. Not only does The Dark Knight up the ante, it takes the whole pot, which is a relief considering one of the last Super-Hero franchises, Spider-Man, which showed early success, has trailed off into mediocrity. Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker is everything Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus could only dream of being in Spider-Man 2. Maniacal, sadistic, and calculating, Ledger's Joker even makes Jack Nicholson's 1989 Batman performance seem like Bozo the Clown. Even my fear of Batman falling into the same trap as Spider-man 3, by writing in too many villains (and therefore too many plotlines), were quelled by Christopher Nolan and brother John's brilliant script. Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent/Two-Face was fresh and unexpected, adding more depth and emotion to The Dark Knight. The Nolan's succeeded where the Spider-man 3 writers failed with Sandman, Venom, and Green Goblin II, not by keeping it simple, but by creating a truly intertwined story-line for their villians. This film certainly has it all, doing everything right for both the die-hard comic book fanboy and the pedestrian blockbuster movie-goer. The casting for every character is dead-on, including the replacement of love interest Rachel Dawes with actress Maggie Gyllenhaal who provides a much more believable peformance than her predecessor Katie Holmes. Many people will come to the theater to see Ledger at his absolute best, and he certainly is, but they will also leave the theater raving about the amazing action sequences and the engaging story-line. They will leave thirsting for more, and wondering how in the world another Super-Hero sequel, let alone another Batman sequel could possibly top this.
]]>Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:41:12 GMTscswngrFilm Obsessed7/19/2008 8:41:12 AMThe Dark Knight is everything it has been advertised to be: exciting, captivating, and enthralling. It is the first major category Oscar worthy movie I have seen in 2008, and not just for the gripping and chilling final performance of Heath Ledger, who certainly deserves a Best Supporting Actor nod. This Batman movie bests all of its predecessors. It is the best Super-Hero sequel movie i have ever seen, and may just be worthy of a Best Picture nomination come January 2009. Sequel success is not a new thing in Hollywood, but more often then not Super-Hero follow ups fall short of their first chapters. Not only does The Dark Knight up the ante, it takes the whole pot, which is a relief considering one of the last Super-Hero franchises, Spider-Man, which showed early success, has trailed off into mediocrity. Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker is everything Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus could only dream of being in Spider-Man 2. Maniacal, sadistic, and calculating, Ledger's Joker even makes Jack Nicholson's 1989 Batman performance seem like Bozo the Clown. Even my fear of Batman falling into the same trap as Spider-man 3, by writing in too many villains (and therefore too many plotlines), were quelled by Christopher Nolan and brother John's brilliant script. Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent/Two-Face was fresh and unexpected, adding more depth and emotion to The Dark Knight. The Nolan's succeeded where the Spider-man 3 writers failed with Sandman, Venom, and Green Goblin II, not by keeping it simple, but by creating a truly intertwined story-line for their villians. This film certainly has it all, doing everything right for both the die-hard comic book fanboy and the pedestrian blockbuster movie-goer. The casting for every character is dead-on, including the replacement of love interest Rachel Dawes with actress Maggie Gyllenhaal who provides a much more believable peformance than her predecessor Katie Holmes. Many people will come to the theater to see Ledger at his absolute best, and he certainly is, but they will also leave the theater raving about the amazing action sequences and the engaging story-line. They will leave thirsting for more, and wondering how in the world another Super-Hero sequel, let alone another Batman sequel could possibly top this. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/6/26/31749.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 6/26/2008 5:00:43 PM
Body: Over the weekend, Wanted had a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.com. It’s since gone down to 81% (at the time of this writing — and with top critics it’s down to 67%), though that’s still pretty good for a movie that initially looked like just another Matrix knockoff. But will the good reviews make for great box office? Last night, while viewing the latest trailer in a theater with some friends, I mentioned that Wanted was receiving great reviews. Nobody believed me at first, and then they didn’t care; they still thought it looked terrible. Good reviews rarely help an action movie, and bad reviews rarely deter audiences from seeing them. However, if we look at the top 5 most critically acclaimed action movies, it’s clear that people do often prefer a good action film to a bad one. The next 5, on the other hand… The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 94% (top critics: 98%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #9 ($377 million) Sample Critic Quote: “The film event of the millennium.” (Richard Corliss, Time) My Analysis: In terms of both reviews and gross, it is possible that, yes, this final LOTR film was the film event of the millennium only three years in. It even won the Oscar for Best Picture, as well as ten other Academy Awards. However, we do have a few hundred years left, and Corliss’ assessment is likely to be challenged one of these centuries. Casino Royale (2006) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 94% (top critics: 95%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #133 ($167.5 million) Sample Critic Quote: “This is the best James Bond film in at least 17 years, and Daniel Craig might be the best 007 … ever.” (Eric D. Snider, EricDSnider.com) My Analysis: Most critics and audiences agreed that this was one of the best 007 films ever and that Craig was at least the best Bond since Connery. Still, it only grossed a mere $7 million more than Die Another Day, which was certified rotten by RT. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 93% (top critics: 97%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #62 ($227.5 million) Sample Critic Quote: “It is probably the best action films to date that doesn’t involved so much special effects.” (Wilson Morales, BlackFilm.com) My Analysis: I agree that it’s the best of the series and one of the best action movies in years, maybe even best to date not involving special effects, as Morales says. But really the only reason that Ultimatum is higher up on the b.o. charts than The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy is because people took awhile to get into the series, with many of Ultimatum’s audience having seen the previous two for the first time on DVD. Still, along with both Return of the King and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it’s one of the rare threequels that earned the highest gross of its series. Considering Return, that says one thing, while considering Indy, that says something else. Spider-Man 2 (2004) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 93% (top critics: 95%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #10 ($373.6 million) Sample Critic Quote: “[It's sure to] join the upper echelons of action movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back, and Die Hard.” (Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer) My Analysis: If this sequel were switched in ranking with its predecessor (see below), it might say something more about reviews equaling revenue, but otherwise between the two installments, there is evidence that good superhero movies will perform better than bad ones. Just don’t pay any attention to Spider-Man 3, which is also pretty close on the b.o. charts, but which is pretty far below in RT ranking (62%, whole; 44%, top critics). Iron Man (2008) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 93% (top critics: 92%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #26 ($305.9 million and counting) Sample Critic Quote: “It’s the best movie of its kind since the second Spider-Man movie four years ago.” (Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle) My Analysis: Fitting to LaSalle’s quote that Iron Man is just behind Spider-Man 2, and with only another $70 million to go in order to be just behind it on the b.o. chart. Unfortunately, as far as ticket sales show, it’s really only the best movie of its kind since the third Spider-Man movie one year ago. Spy Kids (2001) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 92% (top critics: 96%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #309 ($112.7 million) Sample Critic Quote: “To sum up, if you want your children to someday appreciate the true art of cinema, Spy Kids is a terrific movie to start with.” (Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Daily News) My Analysis: If by “true art of cinema” Strauss means the kind of action movies that receive good reviews, then he’s right. Film critics love the well-directed spy movies (see #2 and #3). As for kids, they don’t care about reviews, which explains why Alvin and the Chipmunks made almost double what Spy Kids grossed. Out of Sight (1998) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 92% (top critics: 90%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #1,395 ($37.6 million) Sample Critic Quote: “In a summer filled with mega-hyped disappointments, Out of Sight proves the undeniable value of story, characterization, and — most of all — intelligence.” (Mike McGranaghan, Aisle Seat) My Analysis: The mega-hyped disappointments of that summer include Godzilla, which made about $100 million more than this film. Of course, Out of Sight isn’t really an action-packed action movie, and it only starred George Clooney, who despite being a huge movie star has never really been that big a box office draw. Meanwhile, 1998’s biggest box office winner, the more-action-packed Saving Private Ryan (which RT apparently doesn’t consider to be an action movie), was also one of the five best-reviewed films of the year. Hot Fuzz (2007) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 90% (top critics: 92%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #2,029 ($23.6 million) Sample Critic Quote: “Hot Fuzz is everything an action-comedy should be. It achieves through parody what most films in the genre can’t accomplish straight.” (Nathan Rabin, The Onion A.V. Club) My Analysis: The best action buddy comedy in ten years, yet it’s gross is hardly comparable to the box office success of the Rush Hour movies, Bad Boys II, Lethal Weapon 4 and … Starsky & Hutch? Even Jimmy Fallon’s Taxi performed better domestically. Rescue Dawn (2006) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 90% (top critics: 88%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #3,970 ($5.5 million) Sample Critic Quote: “A potentially commercial audience-pleaser that retains all of the characteristic Herzog complexity and nuance, Rescue Dawn is an electrifying action adventure that clamps your nerves with jaws of steel.” (Rex Reed, New York Observer) My Analysis: Too bad more moviegoers don’t read Rex Reed, because that’s a mighty good sell. Unfortunately, Rescue Dawn suffered a double blow because of who directed it. Critics certainly overpraised it, just because it’s an Herzog film; audiences likely avoided it because of the same reason (not by name, but had it opened bigger right away, audiences wouldn’t have even noticed the art house connection and might have gone to see the new action movie starring “Batman”). Spider-Man (2002) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 90% (top critics: 85%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #7 ($403.7 million) Sample Critic Quote: “Let the gauntlet be thrown: Spider-Man may be the best comic adaptation of all time.” (Todd Gilchrest, FilmStew.com) My Analysis: In terms of box office receipts, it is indeed the best comic adaptation of all time. But as we see by two titles above, it’s since been beat in terms of critical acclaim, just in this decade alone (and from earlier, at least Superman: The Movie has a better RT score). Still, it would almost be evidence that critics and box office can sometimes go hand in hand if it weren’t for that certified rotten movie that ranks just above it on the box office chart: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:00:43 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com6/26/2008 5:00:43 PMOver the weekend, Wanted had a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.com. It’s since gone down to 81% (at the time of this writing — and with top critics it’s down to 67%), though that’s still pretty good for a movie that initially looked like just another Matrix knockoff. But will the good reviews make for great box office? Last night, while viewing the latest trailer in a theater with some friends, I mentioned that Wanted was receiving great reviews. Nobody believed me at first, and then they didn’t care; they still thought it looked terrible. Good reviews rarely help an action movie, and bad reviews rarely deter audiences from seeing them. However, if we look at the top 5 most critically acclaimed action movies, it’s clear that people do often prefer a good action film to a bad one. The next 5, on the other hand… The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 94% (top critics: 98%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #9 ($377 million) Sample Critic Quote: “The film event of the millennium.” (Richard Corliss, Time) My Analysis: In terms of both reviews and gross, it is possible that, yes, this final LOTR film was the film event of the millennium only three years in. It even won the Oscar for Best Picture, as well as ten other Academy Awards. However, we do have a few hundred years left, and Corliss’ assessment is likely to be challenged one of these centuries. Casino Royale (2006) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 94% (top critics: 95%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #133 ($167.5 million) Sample Critic Quote: “This is the best James Bond film in at least 17 years, and Daniel Craig might be the best 007 … ever.” (Eric D. Snider, EricDSnider.com) My Analysis: Most critics and audiences agreed that this was one of the best 007 films ever and that Craig was at least the best Bond since Connery. Still, it only grossed a mere $7 million more than Die Another Day, which was certified rotten by RT. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 93% (top critics: 97%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #62 ($227.5 million) Sample Critic Quote: “It is probably the best action films to date that doesn’t involved so much special effects.” (Wilson Morales, BlackFilm.com) My Analysis: I agree that it’s the best of the series and one of the best action movies in years, maybe even best to date not involving special effects, as Morales says. But really the only reason that Ultimatum is higher up on the b.o. charts than The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy is because people took awhile to get into the series, with many of Ultimatum’s audience having seen the previous two for the first time on DVD. Still, along with both Return of the King and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it’s one of the rare threequels that earned the highest gross of its series. Considering Return, that says one thing, while considering Indy, that says something else. Spider-Man 2 (2004) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 93% (top critics: 95%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #10 ($373.6 million) Sample Critic Quote: “[It's sure to] join the upper echelons of action movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back, and Die Hard.” (Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer) My Analysis: If this sequel were switched in ranking with its predecessor (see below), it might say something more about reviews equaling revenue, but otherwise between the two installments, there is evidence that good superhero movies will perform better than bad ones. Just don’t pay any attention to Spider-Man 3, which is also pretty close on the b.o. charts, but which is pretty far below in RT ranking (62%, whole; 44%, top critics). Iron Man (2008) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 93% (top critics: 92%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #26 ($305.9 million and counting) Sample Critic Quote: “It’s the best movie of its kind since the second Spider-Man movie four years ago.” (Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle) My Analysis: Fitting to LaSalle’s quote that Iron Man is just behind Spider-Man 2, and with only another $70 million to go in order to be just behind it on the b.o. chart. Unfortunately, as far as ticket sales show, it’s really only the best movie of its kind since the third Spider-Man movie one year ago. Spy Kids (2001) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 92% (top critics: 96%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #309 ($112.7 million) Sample Critic Quote: “To sum up, if you want your children to someday appreciate the true art of cinema, Spy Kids is a terrific movie to start with.” (Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Daily News) My Analysis: If by “true art of cinema” Strauss means the kind of action movies that receive good reviews, then he’s right. Film critics love the well-directed spy movies (see #2 and #3). As for kids, they don’t care about reviews, which explains why Alvin and the Chipmunks made almost double what Spy Kids grossed. Out of Sight (1998) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 92% (top critics: 90%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #1,395 ($37.6 million) Sample Critic Quote: “In a summer filled with mega-hyped disappointments, Out of Sight proves the undeniable value of story, characterization, and — most of all — intelligence.” (Mike McGranaghan, Aisle Seat) My Analysis: The mega-hyped disappointments of that summer include Godzilla, which made about $100 million more than this film. Of course, Out of Sight isn’t really an action-packed action movie, and it only starred George Clooney, who despite being a huge movie star has never really been that big a box office draw. Meanwhile, 1998’s biggest box office winner, the more-action-packed Saving Private Ryan (which RT apparently doesn’t consider to be an action movie), was also one of the five best-reviewed films of the year. Hot Fuzz (2007) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 90% (top critics: 92%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #2,029 ($23.6 million) Sample Critic Quote: “Hot Fuzz is everything an action-comedy should be. It achieves through parody what most films in the genre can’t accomplish straight.” (Nathan Rabin, The Onion A.V. Club) My Analysis: The best action buddy comedy in ten years, yet it’s gross is hardly comparable to the box office success of the Rush Hour movies, Bad Boys II, Lethal Weapon 4 and … Starsky & Hutch? Even Jimmy Fallon’s Taxi performed better domestically. Rescue Dawn (2006) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 90% (top critics: 88%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #3,970 ($5.5 million) Sample Critic Quote: “A potentially commercial audience-pleaser that retains all of the characteristic Herzog complexity and nuance, Rescue Dawn is an electrifying action adventure that clamps your nerves with jaws of steel.” (Rex Reed, New York Observer) My Analysis: Too bad more moviegoers don’t read Rex Reed, because that’s a mighty good sell. Unfortunately, Rescue Dawn suffered a double blow because of who directed it. Critics certainly overpraised it, just because it’s an Herzog film; audiences likely avoided it because of the same reason (not by name, but had it opened bigger right away, audiences wouldn’t have even noticed the art house connection and might have gone to see the new action movie starring “Batman”). Spider-Man (2002) Rotten Tomatoes’ “T-Meter” score: 90% (top critics: 85%) All Time Domestic Box Office Rank: #7 ($403.7 million) Sample Critic Quote: “Let the gauntlet be thrown: Spider-Man may be the best comic adaptation of all time.” (Todd Gilchrest, FilmStew.com) My Analysis: In terms of box office receipts, it is indeed the best comic adaptation of all time. But as we see by two titles above, it’s since been beat in terms of critical acclaim, just in this decade alone (and from earlier, at least Superman: The Movie has a better RT score). Still, it would almost be evidence that critics and box office can sometimes go hand in hand if it weren’t for that certified rotten movie that ranks just above it on the box office chart: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Top_5/Re_Top_5_Everybody_Seems_To_Love_But_I_Hate/190/16539/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Top 5
Post Date: 7/26/2007 2:50:13 PM
Body: Wow this thread is really heating up![quote user="Jymkata"] 2. Chasing Amy - really any Kevin Smith movie fits in here for me, but this one seems so overwritten and pretentious in its own slacker/hipster way. The best actors in the world (which Affleck, Lee, and Joey Lauren Adams are clearly not) would have a hard time making that dialogue believable. I think Smith loves the sound of his own words on screen and writes accordingly. Wouldn't watch this again.[/quote]I've actually seen many Kevin Smith films, but not this one. However I used to love them a great deal. Now every time I see one again, my rating plunges further down. Maybe it was that his dialogue sounded fresh at one time to me, but now after being continually subjected to it I'm realizing it may be what you said. Although there are different characters it all seems like the words are coming out of the same person.[quote user="Jymkata"] 3. The Boondock Saints - I really don't know if this is popular everywhere or just in certain regions, but this was recommended to me by everyone and their brother. I had loads of well-intentioned, deluded souls say " Oh, you love Goodfellas, well you will really, really love The Boondock Saints". Well, I really, really hated The Boondock Saints and I think it was Willem Dafoe's worst moment. Very bizarre choices.[/quote]Oooooh, I almost said this one actually! I'd had this recommended to me by many people for a long time. I only heard a few people who said it was bad, but I didn't know who to believe. I saw it even though I think there was something deep inside that made me a bit hesitant. I was not impressed! I don't know how this mediocre crime movie managed to stand above the rest for many people. My friend Andy who uses this site from time to time has a couple tattoos from the movies. I respect his taste, but I just don't get what makes this so special. Maybe I should see that documentary about the making of it.[quote user="Jymkata"]4. Happiness - I know that a lot of people think Todd Solondz is brilliant, but I think his movies are mean-spririted, tasteless jokes. Maybe it's because I have children, but I don't find anything funny or tragic for the abuser about pedophilia, I find it repulsive. And can we finally stop on-screen ejaculation in mainstream movies? Just because you can show something on film doesn't mean you should. This and The Squid and The Whale just ruined the rest of the movie with those scenes.[/quote]Now this is one I really enjoyed. I however do not have any children, so I can't comment from that aspect. But I think I do like watching movies about the struggles of characters that the average movie going seems to consider too pathetic or degenerate to want to watch or have the possibility of having any empathy for. Even though I think those kinds of struggles are often a part of everyone, and I've suspected there may be some kind of deep denial going on there.[quote user="Jymkata"]5. Spider-man & Spider-man II - OK, "hate" is way too strong a word for these because there are plenty of films I rate lower than these, but I would never want to see either of these again. I like Sam Raimi's lower budgeted films, but these are way too popular - I got really tired of hearing how they represented the best superhero movies ever. I like the genre when the directors catch some of the wonder and magic of superheros and Raimi missed it. Some of it has to do with casting Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst (neither of whom I think are good actors or even embody the characteristics of Peter Parker and Mary Jane), but a lot of it is because of the non-magical CGI scenes. See Superman & Superman II for examples of great casting and a sense of wonder.[/quote]I can pretty much agree with you completely on this one. Don't "hate" it, but probably won't see it again and for all the same reasons.Although as for the Superman movies, I actually rate those even less. I'll talk about it later maybe if you'd like, but I feel I've written enough for now.
]]>Thu, 26 Jul 2007 18:50:13 GMTRisseladaTop 57/26/2007 2:50:13 PMWow this thread is really heating up![quote user="Jymkata"] 2. Chasing Amy - really any Kevin Smith movie fits in here for me, but this one seems so overwritten and pretentious in its own slacker/hipster way. The best actors in the world (which Affleck, Lee, and Joey Lauren Adams are clearly not) would have a hard time making that dialogue believable. I think Smith loves the sound of his own words on screen and writes accordingly. Wouldn&#39;t watch this again.[/quote]I&#39;ve actually seen many Kevin Smith films, but not this one. However I used to love them a great deal. Now every time I see one again, my rating plunges further down. Maybe it was that his dialogue sounded fresh at one time to me, but now after being continually subjected to it I&#39;m realizing it may be what you said. Although there are different characters it all seems like the words are coming out of the same person.[quote user="Jymkata"] 3. The Boondock Saints - I really don&#39;t know if this is popular everywhere or just in certain regions, but this was recommended to me by everyone and their brother. I had loads of well-intentioned, deluded souls say " Oh, you love Goodfellas, well you will really, really love The Boondock Saints". Well, I really, really hated The Boondock Saints and I think it was Willem Dafoe&#39;s worst moment. Very bizarre choices.[/quote]Oooooh, I almost said this one actually! I&#39;d had this recommended to me by many people for a long time. I only heard a few people who said it was bad, but I didn&#39;t know who to believe. I saw it even though I think there was something deep inside that made me a bit hesitant. I was not impressed! I don&#39;t know how this mediocre crime movie managed to stand above the rest for many people. My friend Andy who uses this site from time to time has a couple tattoos from the movies. I respect his taste, but I just don&#39;t get what makes this so special. Maybe I should see that documentary about the making of it.[quote user="Jymkata"]4. Happiness - I know that a lot of people think Todd Solondz is brilliant, but I think his movies are mean-spririted, tasteless jokes. Maybe it&#39;s because I have children, but I don&#39;t find anything funny or tragic for the abuser about pedophilia, I find it repulsive. And can we finally stop on-screen ejaculation in mainstream movies? Just because you can show something on film doesn&#39;t mean you should. This and The Squid and The Whale just ruined the rest of the movie with those scenes.[/quote]Now this is one I really enjoyed. I however do not have any children, so I can&#39;t comment from that aspect. But I think I do like watching movies about the struggles of characters that the average movie going seems to consider too pathetic or degenerate to want to watch or have the possibility of having any empathy for. Even though I think those kinds of struggles are often a part of everyone, and I&#39;ve suspected there may be some kind of deep denial going on there.[quote user="Jymkata"]5. Spider-man &amp; Spider-man II - OK, "hate" is way too strong a word for these because there are plenty of films I rate lower than these, but I would never want to see either of these again. I like Sam Raimi&#39;s lower budgeted films, but these are way too popular - I got really tired of hearing how they represented the best superhero movies ever. I like the genre when the directors catch some of the wonder and magic of superheros and Raimi missed it. Some of it has to do with casting Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst (neither of whom I think are good actors or even embody the characteristics of Peter Parker and Mary Jane), but a lot of it is because of the non-magical CGI scenes. See Superman &amp; Superman II for examples of great casting and a sense of wonder.[/quote]I can pretty much agree with you completely on this one. Don&#39;t "hate" it, but probably won&#39;t see it again and for all the same reasons.Although as for the Superman movies, I actually rate those even less. I&#39;ll talk about it later maybe if you&#39;d like, but I feel I&#39;ve written enough for now. http://www.spout.com/groups/Top_5/Re_Top_5_Everybody_Seems_To_Love_But_I_Hate/190/16262/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Jymkata
Post To: Top 5
Post Date: 7/25/2007 8:06:12 PM
Body: I know it's very polite on internet message boards to act like there are no standards or experts, and that subjectivity is the only way to judge a film, but sometimes subjectivity can be wrong and although you may not personally like a piece of art you need to be able to appreciate its qualities. I know this whole topic is subjective, but some of these should not be up for debate as to whether they are good or bad. The two I take exception with are Citizen Kane and Vertigo. I don't even know where to start and whether it's worth it, but I can't understand how someone couldn't fathom the mixed opinions of lesser works like Crash or the Lord of the Rings trilogy ( I guess some people love overlong, CGI-overkilled films that are long on scope and short on character), but not see enough of value in certified masterpieces like these two by Orson and Alfred at their peak. Plus, Kane had the exceptional camerawork of Gregg Toland (that alone is worth the price of admission) and they both had the amazing orchestration of Bernard Herrmann that is much superior to Howard Shore's sappy and repetitive score for LOTR. Anyway, that is my rant and I hope it's not too rude but this is my list:1.) LOTR trilogy - I seriously believe that once CGI becomes a laughable, obvious device like the rear projection in car-driving scenes in older movies these overpopular geek films will be seen for what they are. Shallow, overlong, and badly paced films that were marketed at the right time to reach a very receptive audience. I really feel that there are a lot of scenes where I am watching an actor read lines off a cue card in front of a green screen. I read the books in my childhood, I "get" the genre, but I feel like half the cast sucks and Peter Jackson is a hack. Just my opinion, but there are plenty like me out here and there is far from a positive consensus on these three.2. Chasing Amy - really any Kevin Smith movie fits in here for me, but this one seems so overwritten and pretentious in its own slacker/hipster way. The best actors in the world (which Affleck, Lee, and Joey Lauren Adams are clearly not) would have a hard time making that dialogue believable. I think Smith loves the sound of his own words on screen and writes accordingly. Wouldn't watch this again.3. The Boondock Saints - I really don't know if this is popular everywhere or just in certain regions, but this was recommended to me by everyone and their brother. I had loads of well-intentioned, deluded souls say " Oh, you love Goodfellas, well you will really, really love The Boondock Saints". Well, I really, really hated The Boondock Saints and I think it was Willem Dafoe's worst moment. Very bizarre choices.4. Happiness - I know that a lot of people think Todd Solondz is brilliant, but I think his movies are mean-spririted, tasteless jokes. Maybe it's because I have children, but I don't find anything funny or tragic for the abuser about pedophilia, I find it repulsive. And can we finally stop on-screen ejaculation in mainstream movies? Just because you can show something on film doesn't mean you should. This and The Squid and The Whale just ruined the rest of the movie with those scenes.5. Spider-man & Spider-man II - OK, "hate" is way too strong a word for these because there are plenty of films I rate lower than these, but I would never want to see either of these again. I like Sam Raimi's lower budgeted films, but these are way too popular - I got really tired of hearing how they represented the best superhero movies ever. I like the genre when the directors catch some of the wonder and magic of superheros and Raimi missed it. Some of it has to do with casting Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst (neither of whom I think are good actors or even embody the characteristics of Peter Parker and Mary Jane), but a lot of it is because of the non-magical CGI scenes. See Superman & Superman II for examples of great casting and a sense of wonder. Some of the above opinions I agree with are Godard's boring, pretentious films, Chungking Express, Titanic, Crash and Million Dollar Baby ( their success means Paul Haggis is going to continue to produce obvious, clumsily written, political diatribes), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ( video geek gets to wow people with his bag of tricks and forgets to make a coherent movie), and Ocean's Eleven press junkets. I actually enjoy the first two movies but I absolutely hated the onslaught of publicity these movies got with the stars looking smug and talking (too much) about how they were all best buds and how fun every day of shooting was - with Sir George being such a funny prankster. Get over yourselves, Hollywood actors!
]]>Thu, 26 Jul 2007 00:06:12 GMTJymkataTop 57/25/2007 8:06:12 PMI know it&#39;s very polite on internet message boards to act like there are no standards or experts, and that subjectivity is the only way to judge a film, but sometimes subjectivity can be wrong and although you may not personally like a piece of art you need to be able to appreciate its qualities. I know this whole topic is subjective, but some of these should not be up for debate as to whether they are good or bad. The two I take exception with are Citizen Kane and Vertigo. I don&#39;t even know where to start and whether it&#39;s worth it, but I can&#39;t understand how someone couldn&#39;t fathom the mixed opinions of lesser works like Crash or the Lord of the Rings trilogy ( I guess some people love overlong, CGI-overkilled films that are long on scope and short on character), but not see enough of value in certified masterpieces like these two by Orson and Alfred at their peak. Plus, Kane had the exceptional camerawork of Gregg Toland (that alone is worth the price of admission) and they both had the amazing orchestration of Bernard Herrmann that is much superior to Howard Shore&#39;s sappy and repetitive score for LOTR. Anyway, that is my rant and I hope it&#39;s not too rude but this is my list:1.) LOTR trilogy - I seriously believe that once CGI becomes a laughable, obvious device like the rear projection in car-driving scenes in older movies these overpopular geek films will be seen for what they are. Shallow, overlong, and badly paced films that were marketed at the right time to reach a very receptive audience. I really feel that there are a lot of scenes where I am watching an actor read lines off a cue card in front of a green screen. I read the books in my childhood, I "get" the genre, but I feel like half the cast sucks and Peter Jackson is a hack. Just my opinion, but there are plenty like me out here and there is far from a positive consensus on these three.2. Chasing Amy - really any Kevin Smith movie fits in here for me, but this one seems so overwritten and pretentious in its own slacker/hipster way. The best actors in the world (which Affleck, Lee, and Joey Lauren Adams are clearly not) would have a hard time making that dialogue believable. I think Smith loves the sound of his own words on screen and writes accordingly. Wouldn&#39;t watch this again.3. The Boondock Saints - I really don&#39;t know if this is popular everywhere or just in certain regions, but this was recommended to me by everyone and their brother. I had loads of well-intentioned, deluded souls say " Oh, you love Goodfellas, well you will really, really love The Boondock Saints". Well, I really, really hated The Boondock Saints and I think it was Willem Dafoe&#39;s worst moment. Very bizarre choices.4. Happiness - I know that a lot of people think Todd Solondz is brilliant, but I think his movies are mean-spririted, tasteless jokes. Maybe it&#39;s because I have children, but I don&#39;t find anything funny or tragic for the abuser about pedophilia, I find it repulsive. And can we finally stop on-screen ejaculation in mainstream movies? Just because you can show something on film doesn&#39;t mean you should. This and The Squid and The Whale just ruined the rest of the movie with those scenes.5. Spider-man &amp; Spider-man II - OK, "hate" is way too strong a word for these because there are plenty of films I rate lower than these, but I would never want to see either of these again. I like Sam Raimi&#39;s lower budgeted films, but these are way too popular - I got really tired of hearing how they represented the best superhero movies ever. I like the genre when the directors catch some of the wonder and magic of superheros and Raimi missed it. Some of it has to do with casting Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst (neither of whom I think are good actors or even embody the characteristics of Peter Parker and Mary Jane), but a lot of it is because of the non-magical CGI scenes. See Superman &amp; Superman II for examples of great casting and a sense of wonder. Some of the above opinions I agree with are Godard&#39;s boring, pretentious films, Chungking Express, Titanic, Crash and Million Dollar Baby ( their success means Paul Haggis is going to continue to produce obvious, clumsily written, political diatribes), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ( video geek gets to wow people with his bag of tricks and forgets to make a coherent movie), and Ocean&#39;s Eleven press junkets. I actually enjoy the first two movies but I absolutely hated the onslaught of publicity these movies got with the stars looking smug and talking (too much) about how they were all best buds and how fun every day of shooting was - with Sir George being such a funny prankster. Get over yourselves, Hollywood actors! http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2007/7/9/13517.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 7/9/2007 12:00:55 PM
Body: Let's start with the facts: Transformers, which opened on Monday night, made $152.5 million domestically over its week-long opening weekend. That's enough to give Michael Bay's Ford commercial-with-kissing the record for the best opening week for a non-sequel EVAR; it was not, however, enough to break Spider-man 2's record for the best July 4th opening weekend gross. Now on to the spin: At MTV, Transformers "conquered"; at the LA Times and NY Times, it "dominated". But Canada's Globe and Mail holds Michael Bay's film responsible for not being able to halt "the overall domestic box office plunge." Yes, receipts were down 23 percent from the same weekend last year. Entertainment Weekly calls the fall "inevitable:, but I don't know where you find inevitability in the statistics. Last year, the second Pirates of the Caribbean film grossed in five days about what it took Transformers seven days to produce. Are we to believe that the two mega-tentapoles were somehow playing on unequal fields? Meanwhile, Variety called the Transformers bow a "boffo perf" --which is, according to the "slanguage" dictionary, the second-highest praise allowed. Pamela McClintock also notes that while Paramount Vantage's bizarrely-spun A Mighty Heart screen slash didn't much help that film, Harvey Weinstein's slow-and-steady Sicko push is paying off. If Box Office Mojo's breakdowns are to be believed, Michael Moore's film is averaging about ten times Heart's take on about the same number of screens. Speaking of Box Office Mojo, the data kings are less back-handed than Variety in their assessment of Transformers' debut. Their generous writeup notes that the Bay flick "handily scored two minor records: biggest Tuesday daily gross with its $27.9 million opening day and top July 4th gross with Wednesday's $29.1 million." The always-thoughtful Brandon Gray pegged Transformers' success to a long lineage of disaster-themed July 4 hits. In recent years, the industry has frequently and successfully associated Independence Day with disaster-themed spectacles from Terminator 2: Judgment Day to Armageddon to War of the Worlds, and Transformers fits that bill...DreamWorks and Paramount took a property of limited cinematic appeal—Transformers: The Movie was a theatrical bust in 1986—and sold it as another end-of-the-world event, bolstered by the visceral wonderment of seeing robots morph in live action settings. Nikki Finke's inside sources peg the success to Transformers' ability to transverse cultural barriers. "The studio says that what is making the big box office difference is African Americans and Latinos flocking to see the film. But especially Latino audiences." Dénos las robustezas del asesino! Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:00:55 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com7/9/2007 12:00:55 PM Let's start with the facts: Transformers, which opened on Monday night, made $152.5 million domestically over its week-long opening weekend. That's enough to give Michael Bay's Ford commercial-with-kissing the record for the best opening week for a non-sequel EVAR; it was not, however, enough to break Spider-man 2's record for the best July 4th opening weekend gross. Now on to the spin: At MTV, Transformers "conquered"; at the LA Times and NY Times, it "dominated". But Canada's Globe and Mail holds Michael Bay's film responsible for not being able to halt "the overall domestic box office plunge." Yes, receipts were down 23 percent from the same weekend last year. Entertainment Weekly calls the fall "inevitable:, but I don't know where you find inevitability in the statistics. Last year, the second Pirates of the Caribbean film grossed in five days about what it took Transformers seven days to produce. Are we to believe that the two mega-tentapoles were somehow playing on unequal fields? Meanwhile, Variety called the Transformers bow a "boffo perf" --which is, according to the "slanguage" dictionary, the second-highest praise allowed. Pamela McClintock also notes that while Paramount Vantage's bizarrely-spun A Mighty Heart screen slash didn't much help that film, Harvey Weinstein's slow-and-steady Sicko push is paying off. If Box Office Mojo's breakdowns are to be believed, Michael Moore's film is averaging about ten times Heart's take on about the same number of screens. Speaking of Box Office Mojo, the data kings are less back-handed than Variety in their assessment of Transformers' debut. Their generous writeup notes that the Bay flick "handily scored two minor records: biggest Tuesday daily gross with its $27.9 million opening day and top July 4th gross with Wednesday's $29.1 million." The always-thoughtful Brandon Gray pegged Transformers' success to a long lineage of disaster-themed July 4 hits. In recent years, the industry has frequently and successfully associated Independence Day with disaster-themed spectacles from Terminator 2: Judgment Day to Armageddon to War of the Worlds, and Transformers fits that bill...DreamWorks and Paramount took a property of limited cinematic appeal—Transformers: The Movie was a theatrical bust in 1986—and sold it as another end-of-the-world event, bolstered by the visceral wonderment of seeing robots morph in live action settings. Nikki Finke's inside sources peg the success to Transformers' ability to transverse cultural barriers. "The studio says that what is making the big box office difference is African Americans and Latinos flocking to see the film. But especially Latino audiences." Dénos las robustezas del asesino! Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/moviebabe/archive/2007/7/5/13212.aspx Post By: MovieBabe
Post To: MovieBabe Blog
Post Date: 7/5/2007 7:39:00 PM
Body: By Tricia Olszewski Peter Parker just gives and gives and gives. But his dedication to fighting crime and whisking clueless children out of New York traffic as his alter ego, Spider-Man, only gets the perpetually tardy Peter branded as lazy and undependable. Even when he fudges a little, abusing his superpowers to, say, transport some pizzas within his boss’s 29-minutes-or-it’s-free guaranteed delivery time—swinging, with pie in the sky, above congested city blocks in the Spidey suit as a bystander remarks, “Whoa, he stole that guy’s pizza!”—his efforts backfire. The pizza caper leads to dismissal with the line, “I know to you, Parker, a promise means nothing.” Stoic photographer Peter (Tobey Maguire) takes the abuse, though, which also comes from his professors at school, his maniacal editor at the Daily Bugle, and, indirectly, his best friend, Harry (James Franco), who blames Spider-Man for his father’s death. But when Peter becomes a disappointment to his lifetime crush, M.J. (Kirsten Dunst), he does succumb to depression: He can’t tell her why he’s so absent from her life; he can’t admit that yes, he really does love her; and when her glances toward him turn cold and she stops returning his calls, the greater good doesn’t seem all that important anymore. “M.J.,” of course, stands for “Mary Jane,” but in Spider-Man 2, it might as well be short for “mojo.” Sam Raimi’s follow-up to his 2002 megahit is less a balls-to-the-wall action flick than a thoughtful character study on one man and his inability to perform. Superheroically, that is: Based on the comic The Amazing Spider-Man No. 50: Spider-Man No More, Spider-Man 2 shows its usually agile vigilante falling off buildings and running into walls, his web-slinging and surface-sticking powers failing him at the most inopportune times. When it’s clear that even his secret life is crumbling—and, worse, when M.J., tired of the mixed signals she’s getting from the man behind the mask, announces that she’s marrying some astronaut dude—Peter considers throwing in the towel (now colored pink, from washing his work suit with his whites) for an existence more ordinary. Of course, though its four screenwriters (including Wonder Boys author Michael Chabon) keep Spider-Man 2 rather touchy-feely with a script that’s focused on the love story and prone to long monologues about sacrifice and choices and dreams, there’s still plenty of time for the good stuff. One particularly delicious surprise is the Evil Dead fun Raimi has with the sequel’s villain: Shifting genres for a spell in a campily vicious operating-room scene in which mild-mannered scientist Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina)—who has had mechanical tentacles attached to his body in an effort to somehow demonstrate his research on fusion power—transforms into the evil Doc Ock, Raimi employs dim lighting, chain saws, and quick zooms to horrified faces reacting to the emergence of the way-cooler of the franchise’s bad guys. It’s dark, wicked fun that’s a welcome counter to the frequent treacle, such as Spidey’s awkward I-am-a-human-being plea, “Punch me, I bleed!” The action sequences don’t come fast and furious from the start, but when they do, they’re breathtaking in their grace. A speeding-train confrontation shows our hero feelin’ fine, limboing under one bridge and slipping through the lattice of another before a triumphantly vein-popping, clothes-busting Superman moment in which he tests his strength. There is a bit more flash here than in the original—Dr. Octavius’ fusion project, after all, begs for lots of blinding light and brilliant explosions—but for a summer blockbuster, Spider-Man 2 is rather restrained. Elegant, even: From its opening credits, in which the first installment’s story is recalled in lovely illustration, to Raimi’s frequent use of quiet, especially in the run-up to catastrophe, Spider-Man 2 is as concerned with beauty as with bluster. It’s a slicker, more solid movie than its predecessor, a rarity in the land of sequels. Raimi, like Peter, delivers the goods despite the doubt, clearly believing that a promise really does mean something. Director Richard Linklater believes that you don’t have to swing from buildings to have a lot of drama in your life. At least that’s the idea behind his 1995 film, Before Sunrise, and its sequel, the new Before Sunset. Both star Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, and not a whole lot else: Before Sunrise shows the American Jesse (Hawke) and French Celine (Delpy), both young and idealistic, meeting on a Eurail train, when another couple’s argument spurs them to start a conversation that lasts 14 hours. It’s Jesse’s last night kickin’ around Europe, and he invites Celine to hang out with him in Vienna until his plane takes off the next morning. When it comes time for him to leave, the smitten pair don’t exchange phone numbers or addresses, but instead agree to meet at the same spot in six months. Before Sunrise is an intimate series of getting-to-know-you chats whose script exchanges a traditional narrative for the characters’ opinions on life and love. Set nine years later, Before Sunset catches up with the masters of first-date conversation—even if the slice-of-life reality of these movies doesn’t grab you, you can’t deny that Jesse and Celine are damn impressive talkers—when Celine drops in to a Paris bookstore where Jesse, now an author, is giving a reading. His book is a barely fictionalized account of their night in Vienna, and this unexpected encounter is their first since then. With Before Sunset, Linklater takes the first film’s already spare idea and compresses it into a Gen-X My Dinner With Andre. The movie seems to occur in real time, seamlessly edited as Jesse and Celine move from the bookstore, through the streets of Paris, into a coffeehouse, and finally to Celine’s apartment. Except for a few moments of nervous laughter or gee-whiz—never awkward—silence, their conversation is continual as they become reacquainted and fill each other in on what’s happened to them in the past near-decade. The conceit is hardly revolutionary. Though the pair’s small talk is much more ambitious and engaging than what you’d typically find at your neighborhood Starbucks, listening to their 80-minute reunion is akin to listening to a Larry King panel, but with anonymous nobodies. Who but the most ardent Before Sunrise devotees (hands, anyone?) really cares what Jesse and Celine think about the environment, consumerism, and violence in America? But if you let yourself be lulled by the easy rhythm of their conversation, you may suddenly start feeling as if you’d been punched in the gut. Their chatter soon turns to earnest talk of love and choices and longing; Jesse is unhappily married, and Celine prefers the relative solitude of a relationship with a frequent traveler after being suffocated and hurt by clingier lovers. Both are haunted by what might have been, had they reunited six months after meeting as planned. Delpy, Hawke, and Linklater all had a hand in shaping the script, which is based on characters developed by Linklater and Kim Krizan. The subsequent events of Jesse and Celine’s lives have certainly been more mundane than their cinematic rendezvous in Vienna, but they turn out to be no less compelling, especially when discussed with such impressive naturalness by Hawke and Delpy. The most exciting thing that happens in Before Sunset is Celine’s impromptu shimmying to Nina Simone in her cluttered apartment, with Jesse quietly watching her with a look of fascination and giddiness. The moment is simple and aching and over before you know it—Linklater’s perfectly expressed message that it’s the stuff of day-to-day life that can make your heart soar.
]]>Thu, 05 Jul 2007 23:39:00 GMTMovieBabeMovieBabe Blog7/5/2007 7:39:00 PM By Tricia Olszewski Peter Parker just gives and gives and gives. But his dedication to fighting crime and whisking clueless children out of New York traffic as his alter ego, Spider-Man, only gets the perpetually tardy Peter branded as lazy and undependable. Even when he fudges a little, abusing his superpowers to, say, transport some pizzas within his boss&rsquo;s 29-minutes-or-it&rsquo;s-free guaranteed delivery time&mdash;swinging, with pie in the sky, above congested city blocks in the Spidey suit as a bystander remarks, &ldquo;Whoa, he stole that guy&rsquo;s pizza!&rdquo;&mdash;his efforts backfire. The pizza caper leads to dismissal with the line, &ldquo;I know to you, Parker, a promise means nothing.&rdquo; Stoic photographer Peter (Tobey Maguire) takes the abuse, though, which also comes from his professors at school, his maniacal editor at the Daily Bugle, and, indirectly, his best friend, Harry (James Franco), who blames Spider-Man for his father&rsquo;s death. But when Peter becomes a disappointment to his lifetime crush, M.J. (Kirsten Dunst), he does succumb to depression: He can&rsquo;t tell her why he&rsquo;s so absent from her life; he can&rsquo;t admit that yes, he really does love her; and when her glances toward him turn cold and she stops returning his calls, the greater good doesn&rsquo;t seem all that important anymore. &ldquo;M.J.,&rdquo; of course, stands for &ldquo;Mary Jane,&rdquo; but in Spider-Man 2, it might as well be short for &ldquo;mojo.&rdquo; Sam Raimi&rsquo;s follow-up to his 2002 megahit is less a balls-to-the-wall action flick than a thoughtful character study on one man and his inability to perform. Superheroically, that is: Based on the comic The Amazing Spider-Man No. 50: Spider-Man No More, Spider-Man 2 shows its usually agile vigilante falling off buildings and running into walls, his web-slinging and surface-sticking powers failing him at the most inopportune times. When it&rsquo;s clear that even his secret life is crumbling&mdash;and, worse, when M.J., tired of the mixed signals she&rsquo;s getting from the man behind the mask, announces that she&rsquo;s marrying some astronaut dude&mdash;Peter considers throwing in the towel (now colored pink, from washing his work suit with his whites) for an existence more ordinary. Of course, though its four screenwriters (including Wonder Boys author Michael Chabon) keep Spider-Man 2 rather touchy-feely with a script that&rsquo;s focused on the love story and prone to long monologues about sacrifice and choices and dreams, there&rsquo;s still plenty of time for the good stuff. One particularly delicious surprise is the Evil Dead fun Raimi has with the sequel&rsquo;s villain: Shifting genres for a spell in a campily vicious operating-room scene in which mild-mannered scientist Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina)&mdash;who has had mechanical tentacles attached to his body in an effort to somehow demonstrate his research on fusion power&mdash;transforms into the evil Doc Ock, Raimi employs dim lighting, chain saws, and quick zooms to horrified faces reacting to the emergence of the way-cooler of the franchise&rsquo;s bad guys. It&rsquo;s dark, wicked fun that&rsquo;s a welcome counter to the frequent treacle, such as Spidey&rsquo;s awkward I-am-a-human-being plea, &ldquo;Punch me, I bleed!&rdquo; The action sequences don&rsquo;t come fast and furious from the start, but when they do, they&rsquo;re breathtaking in their grace. A speeding-train confrontation shows our hero feelin&rsquo; fine, limboing under one bridge and slipping through the lattice of another before a triumphantly vein-popping, clothes-busting Superman moment in which he tests his strength. There is a bit more flash here than in the original&mdash;Dr. Octavius&rsquo; fusion project, after all, begs for lots of blinding light and brilliant explosions&mdash;but for a summer blockbuster, Spider-Man 2 is rather restrained. Elegant, even: From its opening credits, in which the first installment&rsquo;s story is recalled in lovely illustration, to Raimi&rsquo;s frequent use of quiet, especially in the run-up to catastrophe, Spider-Man 2 is as concerned with beauty as with bluster. It&rsquo;s a slicker, more solid movie than its predecessor, a rarity in the land of sequels. Raimi, like Peter, delivers the goods despite the doubt, clearly believing that a promise really does mean something. Director Richard Linklater believes that you don&rsquo;t have to swing from buildings to have a lot of drama in your life. At least that&rsquo;s the idea behind his 1995 film, Before Sunrise, and its sequel, the new Before Sunset. Both star Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, and not a whole lot else: Before Sunrise shows the American Jesse (Hawke) and French Celine (Delpy), both young and idealistic, meeting on a Eurail train, when another couple&rsquo;s argument spurs them to start a conversation that lasts 14 hours. It&rsquo;s Jesse&rsquo;s last night kickin&rsquo; around Europe, and he invites Celine to hang out with him in Vienna until his plane takes off the next morning. When it comes time for him to leave, the smitten pair don&rsquo;t exchange phone numbers or addresses, but instead agree to meet at the same spot in six months. Before Sunrise is an intimate series of getting-to-know-you chats whose script exchanges a traditional narrative for the characters&rsquo; opinions on life and love. Set nine years later, Before Sunset catches up with the masters of first-date conversation&mdash;even if the slice-of-life reality of these movies doesn&rsquo;t grab you, you can&rsquo;t deny that Jesse and Celine are damn impressive talkers&mdash;when Celine drops in to a Paris bookstore where Jesse, now an author, is giving a reading. His book is a barely fictionalized account of their night in Vienna, and this unexpected encounter is their first since then. With Before Sunset, Linklater takes the first film&rsquo;s already spare idea and compresses it into a Gen-X My Dinner With Andre. The movie seems to occur in real time, seamlessly edited as Jesse and Celine move from the bookstore, through the streets of Paris, into a coffeehouse, and finally to Celine&rsquo;s apartment. Except for a few moments of nervous laughter or gee-whiz&mdash;never awkward&mdash;silence, their conversation is continual as they become reacquainted and fill each other in on what&rsquo;s happened to them in the past near-decade. The conceit is hardly revolutionary. Though the pair&rsquo;s small talk is much more ambitious and engaging than what you&rsquo;d typically find at your neighborhood Starbucks, listening to their 80-minute reunion is akin to listening to a Larry King panel, but with anonymous nobodies. Who but the most ardent Before Sunrise devotees (hands, anyone?) really cares what Jesse and Celine think about the environment, consumerism, and violence in America? But if you let yourself be lulled by the easy rhythm of their conversation, you may suddenly start feeling as if you&rsquo;d been punched in the gut. Their chatter soon turns to earnest talk of love and choices and longing; Jesse is unhappily married, and Celine prefers the relative solitude of a relationship with a frequent traveler after being suffocated and hurt by clingier lovers. Both are haunted by what might have been, had they reunited six months after meeting as planned. Delpy, Hawke, and Linklater all had a hand in shaping the script, which is based on characters developed by Linklater and Kim Krizan. The subsequent events of Jesse and Celine&rsquo;s lives have certainly been more mundane than their cinematic rendezvous in Vienna, but they turn out to be no less compelling, especially when discussed with such impressive naturalness by Hawke and Delpy. The most exciting thing that happens in Before Sunset is Celine&rsquo;s impromptu shimmying to Nina Simone in her cluttered apartment, with Jesse quietly watching her with a look of fascination and giddiness. The moment is simple and aching and over before you know it&mdash;Linklater&rsquo;s perfectly expressed message that it&rsquo;s the stuff of day-to-day life that can make your heart soar. http://www.spout.com/groups/Introduce_Yourself/Re_Introduce_Yourself/291/7300/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: superdrive0
Post To: Introduce Yourself
Post Date: 4/19/2007 4:04:05 PM
Body: Hey everyone! My name is Emma, I'm 15, currently a sophmore in highschool. I found out about spout from my dad, ChangeWarrior . I'm not a huge movie fan or anything, just an anime fanatic. My favorite non-anime movies would be Spider-man and Spider-man 2. I'm very excited about the release of the third movie, I've already ordered tickets for the midnight showing the day it comes out. My favorite movie ever is Grave of the Fireflies. I spend most of my free time watching anime, making cosplay, going to conventions, and doing other anime-related things. ... I don't think I have alot of depth as a person >_>;
]]>Thu, 19 Apr 2007 20:04:05 GMTsuperdrive0Introduce Yourself4/19/2007 4:04:05 PMHey everyone! My name is Emma, I&#39;m 15, currently a sophmore in highschool. I found out about spout from my dad, ChangeWarrior . I&#39;m not a huge movie fan or anything, just an anime fanatic. My favorite non-anime movies would be Spider-man and Spider-man 2. I&#39;m very excited about the release of the third movie, I&#39;ve already ordered tickets for the midnight showing the day it comes out. My favorite movie ever is Grave of the Fireflies. I spend most of my free time watching anime, making cosplay, going to conventions, and doing other anime-related things. ... I don&#39;t think I have alot of depth as a person &gt;_&gt;; http://www.spout.com/blogs/jimbell/archive/2007/4/18/7220.aspx Post By: JimBell
Post To: JimBell Blog
Post Date: 4/18/2007 3:05:00 AM
Body: Spider-Man 2 is pretty much as good as the original Spider Man. In the preview, a giant mechanical spider/human climbs a building, and I thought that the sequel had succumbed to cheap special effects, but not so. Again, front and centre, is Peter Parker’s love for his girlfriend, along with his trouble paying the rent, his precarious employment, his surprise birthday party, his apparent lose of spider webbing powers, and his struggle to balance love and saving the world. In the climactic scene, he tells his girlfriend that he wants to avoid her because she will be in constant danger from bad guys trying to get at him through her. She replies that he should respect her enough to allow her to make the decision about her own life. Wow. What a punch line! At present, this serves as a popular conclusion to the movie. In future Spider Man, however, Spidy might reply, “ I wish you would respect me enough to allow me to make the decision about my life.”Jim Bell
]]>Wed, 18 Apr 2007 07:05:00 GMTJimBellJimBell Blog4/18/2007 3:05:00 AMSpider-Man 2 is pretty much as good as the original Spider Man. In the preview, a giant mechanical spider/human climbs a building, and I thought that the sequel had succumbed to cheap special effects, but not so. Again, front and centre, is Peter Parker&rsquo;s love for his girlfriend, along with his trouble paying the rent, his precarious employment, his surprise birthday party, his apparent lose of spider webbing powers, and his struggle to balance love and saving the world. In the climactic scene, he tells his girlfriend that he wants to avoid her because she will be in constant danger from bad guys trying to get at him through her. She replies that he should respect her enough to allow her to make the decision about her own life. Wow. What a punch line! At present, this serves as a popular conclusion to the movie. In future Spider Man, however, Spidy might reply, &ldquo; I wish you would respect me enough to allow me to make the decision about my life.&rdquo;Jim Bell http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Loved-It/MemberTagFilms.aspxLoved-It
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