Dick Tracy

1990

Directed and Produced by Warren Beatty
Written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr.
Based on the characters and comic strip created by Chester Gould

I’m reminded of a conversation my wife Patricia and I had some years back. Before I stopped being cheap and simply bought DVDs I would burn movies from my DVR onto blank DVDs.  Two of those movies happened to be the Tim Burton “Batman” and DICK TRACY. Patricia is curious as to why I put the both of them on the same DVD. I shrug. I dunno. Just worked out that way.

She has a different theory. “Maybe because your subconscious made the connection that if Bruce Wayne had decided to be a cop instead of Batman he’d be Dick Tracy?”

Actually, I think it had more to do with the fact that both movies together had enough running time to fit on one four hour DVD but I have to admit that Patricia may just have had a point there. Batman and Dick Tracy have an awful lot in common. Both men have sacrificed normal lives to wage an unending war on crime. Both fight bizarre villains with outrageous physical and psychological deformities. Both utilize advanced technology in their work and both wear distinctive outfits that identify them immediately so you have no doubt whom you’re dealing with.

This is never more apparent than in the scene where we first see Dick Tracy (Warren Beatty) clearly when he steps out of a police car wearing a midnight black suit, blindingly white shirt, blood red tie and canary yellow trench coat with matching fedora. Now no self-respecting cop in the real world is going to wear a getup like that but hey, this is DICK TRACY we’re talking about and the way Warren Beatty wears the clothes and plays the character, we buy into it with no problem. He’s Dick Tracy. I defy any actor today to pull off making a canary yellow trench coat and fedora look as cool as Beatty does.

Dick Tracy has been summoned via his trusty wrist radio to the scene a massive mob rubout. Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino) has made his move to take over The City.  He’s rubbed out his major rival Lips Manliss (Paul Sorvino) and seized all of his assets, including his sizzling hot girlfriend Breathless Mahoney (Madonna) who’s also the best singer in The City, backed up by her master pianist 88 Keys (Mandy Patinkin)

Dick Tracy isn’t able to get the goods on Big Boy, not even after sweating Big Boy’s stooges Mumbles (Dustin Hoffman) Flattop (William Forsythe) and Itchy (Ed O’Ross).  But he’s not about to let Big Boy have his way in his town and he goes on a crime busting crusade that would make The Dark Knight himself envious.  While Dick Tracy is cleaning up the town against such miscreants such as The Brow (Chuck Hicks) Pruneface (R.G. Armstrong) and Spud Spaldoni (James Caan) he’s also got to deal with other matters.   Such as his relationship with his longtime girlfriend Tess Trueheart (Glenne Headley) who’s starting to think that maybe there’s not much future in being involved a man whose true love is fighting crime. And then there’s The Kid (Charlie Korsmo) a street urchin who comes to live with Dick Tracy after Tracy catches him stealing a watch and maybe is awakening in him paternal instincts Tracy never had before. And Breathless Mahoney starts coming after Tracy for reasons of her own and the feelings she’s awakening in him had best not be mentioned if we’re to keep this review family friendly.

DICK TRACY originally showed up in theatres the year after the wildly successful Tim Burton “Batman” and it was pretty obvious that Touchstone Pictures/Disney was trying to generate the same kind of hysteria “Batman” had generated and they came pretty close. The DICK TRACY logo was almost as ubiquitous as the Bat symbol had been the summer before and the media hype generated was at a fever pitch, fueled mostly by the Madonna/Warren Beatty romance that had begun while they were filing this movie. But despite all the hoopla that DICK TRACY would be another “Batman”, it stands up on it’s own as a unique interpretation of the character. I like how everything in this world has only primary colors and most of the time everything is staged as if the action is supposed to be in individual comic panels. And there’s no product placement at all here. When Tracy opens a can of beans the label simply says ‘Beans’. The police cars simply say ‘Police’. A tube of toothpaste simply says ‘Toothpaste’. It’s a comic book world these people inhabit and as a director, Warren Beatty does an excellent job of translating a comic book world into a real life language we as an audience can get a hold of and accept with batting an eye. I love the look of DICK TRACY which makes it plain we’re in a comic book world that at the same time looks highly theatrical and yet functional.

That’s not to say that I’m totally in love with the movie. Much as I love Madonna I wish the movie had spent less time with her trying to vamp Dick Tracy and more time with him going toe-to-toe with the various bizarre crime bosses of The City in tommy-gun shootouts. I mean, this movie has great visual bad guys like Littleface, The Brow, Influence and Mumbles and most of them we see only enough of to get us interested in and then they’re either bumped off or we never see them again. I also don’t like the music by Danny Elfman. He’d just done the soundtrack for “Batman” the year before and indeed, a lot of the music in DICK TRACY sounds like music left over from “Batman”

But then there’s the extraordinary visual style of the movie, which suckers me in every time. And the performances of Warren Beatty and Al Pacino. Warren Beatty is obviously having mad fun playing Dick Tracy. He manages to be unbearably square and awfully cool at the same time.  Glenne Headly as Tess Trueheart is really good. I like how she lets Tracy knows that she knows what kind of man he is and what life would be like as his wife and it’s cool with her. It’s Tracy that’s too busy cleaning up crime in The City to pick up on the signals.

And there’s a remarkable amount of talent in DICK TRACY. You oughta see it just for the cast alone. You’ve got Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, James Caan, William Forsythe, Ed O’Ross, Glenne Headly, Seymour Cassel, Charles Durning, Allan Garfield, John Schuck, Charlie Fleischer (we all love him as the voice of Roger Rabbit) Mandy Patinkin, Madonna, Paul Sorvino, James Tolkan, Dustin Hoffman, Kathy Bates, Dick Van Dyke, fer crying out loud! Colm Meany (from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) Catherine O’Hara, Henry Silva, Mary Woronov, Michael J. Pollard (Warren Beatty’s co-star from “Bonnie & Clyde”) and Mike Mazurki….whew….and that’s not even half of the cameos you can spot when you really try.

So should you see DICK TRACY? If you haven’t, Netflix it at your earliest opportunity.  It’s just plain, good old fashioned fun to watch. It’s a movie you can pop into the DVD player, sit back with your beverage and snacks of choice and just have a good time watching. And it’s for that reason that I suspect it’ll be a favorite of many for a long time. I know it’ll be one of mine. Enjoy.

RATED PG
103 minutes

The Avengers

2012

Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Pictures

 

Directed by Joss Whedon

Produced by Kevin Feige

Screenplay by Zak Penn, Joss Whedon

Based on the Marvel comic book “The Avengers” created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

 

This review is spoiler free as I’m pretty sure there will be some of you reading this who haven’t seen THE AVENGERS yet.  In about another month or so when more of you have seen it I’ll be rewriting the review so as to talk more in-depth about the movie.  Now if you want to read an excellent, more comprehensive review, by all means, go read Mark Bousquet’s review.  But be advised that Mark’s review has spoilers aplenty so if you’re the type who foams at the mouth at the very thought of spoilers, then don’t. 

 

My love affair with THE AVENGERS goes back to 1968.  That’s when I bought Avengers Annual #2 which featured Captain America going back in time with teammates Hawkeye, Goliath, The Wasp and The Black Panther and through a cosmic mixup find themselves doing battle with Giant-Man, The Wasp, Iron Man, Thor and The Hulk.  I was hooked and from that year to this one, The Avengers have always been my favorite superhero team.  Way back then my friends and I fantasized about seeing The Avengers in a live-action movie but until a few years ago I never really believed it could be done.  It has.  After five previous Marvel superhero movies it’s all led up to this.  And it’s been done with such fresh intelligence, unique wit, humor, creative consistency and downright fun that as far as I’m concerned THE AVENGERS is the best and greatest superhero movie ever made.  With this movie, the bar for superhero movies has been raised so incredibly high that I don’t think it’ll be topped anytime soon.  Matter of fact, I’m sure of it.

The meat of the plot is actually quite simple.  After being thrown off the destroyed Rainbow Bridge by his brother Thor (Chris Hemsworth) during his attempt to conquer Asgard, The God of Mischief Loki (Tom Hiddleston) found himself in a hostile dimension.  He has made a deal with the leader of the warrior alien race known as the Chitauri.  If Loki retrieves the ancient artifact known as the Tesseract he’ll be given command of a Chitauri army to conquer The Earth.  Loki manages to remotely use the Tesseract to open a portal by which he returns to Earth.  Loki steals the Tessarct from the S.H.I.E.L.D. research facility where it is being studied by Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard)  Loki escapes, destroying the facility in the process while turning Dr. Selvig, Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and half a dozen S.H.I.E.L.D. agents into his mind-controlled lackeys.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) decides to reactivate “The Avengers Initiative” to combat this threat.  He sends Natasha Romanoff aka The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to India to recruit Dr. Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).  Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) heads to New York to bring in Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.).  When Loki is discovered to be in Germany, it seems like the perfect assignment for Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) to capture him but that plan goes wrong when Thor shows up, intending to capture his brother himself, recover the Tessaract and take them both back to Asgard. And he’s got an outrageously big hammer to back up his intentions.

Surprisingly, Loki allows himself to be taken captive and imprisoned on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s flying aircraft carrier, the Helicarrier.  Fury attempts to talk this wildly diverse group into becoming a team while Banner and Stark try to find the Tesseract and the true depths of Loki’s scheming soon become obvious to all.  Divided and disheartened, The Avengers must learn how to work together as a team to save the world from Loki and the overwhelming onslaught of the Chitauri hordes pouring out of a interdimensional  portal above Stark Tower.

That’s the bare bones of the plot but there’s so much meat on the bones that it flat-out astonishes me how much Joss Whedon and his co-writer Zak Penn gets in there without the movie feeling rushed or over-bloated.  There are some great character moments aboard the Helicarrier and the scene of The Avengers bickering among themselves had me chuckling even though it’s a deadly serious scene.  But as a long-time Avengers fan, I’ve seen this scene played out in I don’t know how many issues of the comic book and it feels absolutely right in here.

We get astounding superhero battles such as Iron Man vs. Thor and Hulk vs. Thor while the actual alien attack on New York is jaw-dropping in its scale and level of sheer spectacle.  It’s also where we get to see The Avengers finally working together as a team and it’s one of the best moments in superhero movie history.

The acting is dead on-point with Mark Ruffalo being the stand-out.  I expected everyone else to be good as they’ve played these characters before and they know the tone they’re supposed to take.  But Mark Ruffalo comes in cold and nails Bruce Banner with an ease that is truly impressive.  He’s just as good as Eric Bana and Edward Norton and I could even see the progression in both The Hulk and Bruce Banner through Ruffalo’s performance.  They both have come a long way and Ruffalo as Banner reflects this.  Nothing he does invalidates or violates the Bana or Norton performances and actually builds on them.  And both Banner and The Hulk get some of the best lines/scenes in the movie.  Including the one between The Hulk and Loki that had the audience I saw the movie with laughing, cheering, clapping and high-fiving for at least five minutes.

Jeremy Renner makes for a far better Clint Barton than I thought he would be.  This incarnation of Hawkeye as well as The Black Widow are darker versions of the traditional characters but I didn’t mind.  These characters I’ve always admired and loved since they don’t have superpowers.  Even Captain America has the Super-Solider Formula going for him but Hawkeye and The Black Widow are superbly trained humans who through virtue of guts, heart and their outstanding skills prove why they’re worthy to be Avengers.

So should you see THE AVENGERS?  If you don’t, I don’t wanna know you.  If every other movie I see this year turns out to be crap I honestly don’t care because I’ve seen THE AVENGERS and it’s the Avengers movie I’ve been waiting since 1968 to see and it was worth the wait.

143 minutes

PG-13

 

The Incredible Hulk

 

2008

Universal Studios/Marvel Entertainment

Directed by Louis Leterrier

Produced by Avi Arad and Gale Anne Hurd

Screenplay by Edward Norton (uncredited) and Zak Penn

Based on the comic book “The Incredible Hulk” created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

 

For those of you who haven’t heard my yelling in the wilderness before now, allow me to yell some more: I thoroughly enjoyed the Ang Lee directed “Hulk” and still think it’s one of the best superhero movies made.  For years fanboys whined that superhero movies weren’t treated with the respect or dignity the characters deserved.  Well, they got a movie with an intelligent script, an A-list director, a top notch cast, photographed with style and imagination and what did they do?  BMW’ed that there wasn’t enough “Hulk Smash!”  They certainly can’t say that about THE INCREDIBLE HULK as there’s enough action in this one to make up for any lack of action in the first.  And it’s well directed action that serves the needs of the story and just isn’t put in there for “Hulk Smash!” value.  I enjoyed THE INCREDIBLE HULK for a lot of reasons I like “Hulk” They both share intelligent scripts, a top-notch cast and it’s photographed with style and imagination.  I don’t know if Louis Leterrier can be considered an A-list director but if he keeps on making movies this good, he will be.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK hits the ground running by giving us a condensed, reworked version of The Hulk’s origin.  In this one, General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross (William Hurt) enlists the genius of radiation expert Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) to revive a World War II era experiment: The Super-Soldier Project.  The idea is to physically enhance human beings to the pinnacle of peak human perfection.  If you’ve seen “Captain America” then you know how that worked out.  Ross thinks that Bruce can speed up the process.  Well, Doc Bruce Banner gets belted by gamma rays, turns into The Hulk and in the process injures not only Ross but his daughter Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) the love of Bruce’s life.  Now, when Bruce gets angry or outraged a startling metamorphosis occurs and he changes into a seven-foot tall, thousand pound, green skinned powerhouse driven by rage.  Bruce goes on the run, hiding from Ross and the United States Army while trying to find a way to control the raging spirit that dwells within him.

We pick up Bruce working in a bottling plant in Rio de Janeiro.  He’s studying martial arts to help him control his anger.  He’s working on a cure for his condition with the help of the mysterious Mr. Blue who he communicates with via laptop and satellite uplink.  Ross finds Bruce due to a set of circumstances involving a cut finger, a soda bottle and the second funniest cameo Stan Lee has done in these Marvel movies.  Ross sends a team of Special Forces commandos to capture Banner.  They’re led by Blonsky (Tim Roth) a Russian born British black ops type of guy who’s past his prime.

The team finds Banner and they make the mistake of making him mad so you can guess what happens after that.  But Blonsky wants another crack at capturing Bruce and The Hulk and willingly volunteers to take the Super-Soldier serum himself so that he can have a fighting chance against The Hulk.  In the meantime, Bruce and Betty have reunited and decide to go toNew Yorkand seek out Mr. Blue themselves.  That plan is complicated by Ross, Blonsky and The Army showing up and in one of the movie’s really amazing battle sequences Bruce Hulks out and takes on the Army and Blonsky.  Blonsky’s able to actually hold his own for a while against The Hulk before the big green guy shows exactly why there’s ‘The Incredible’ in front of his name.

The fight leaves every bone in Blonsky’s body shattered but in a few hours he’s totally and completely healed.  This gets Blonsky to thinking: if he’s like this just from having taken the serum, what’ll happen if he gets a dose of gamma rays like Bruce Banner?  The answer leads to a simply fantastic showdown inNew York’sHarlembetween The Hulk and Blonsky who has been transformed into a gamma powered Abomination.  But will Bruce be able to find a lasting cure?  Will he and Betty ever be able to have a normal life?

The really fun thing about THE INCREDIBLE HULK is that it follows the old school formula of storytelling that Marvel did so well way back in the 60’s/70’s: a healthy dose of plain ol’ superheroics with just enough soap opera elements to give the characters and the story the illusion of being something more than just the opportunity to have guys with bulging muscles whomping the piss outta each other.  But it’s done so well and with such respect for the source material that like “Iron Man” and “Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer” it’s elevated out of just being just another superhero movie and is A Good Movie, period.

I liked Edward Norton a lot in this movie.  He’s one of the best actors working today and his Bruce Banner really isn’t that far from the way Eric Bana played Banner in the 2003 movie.  Norton’s Banner is less repressed and more proactive but five years on the run from the government will make a man come out of his shell real fast.  I liked how even General Ross had to admit that Banner isn’t to be underestimated and not just because he can turn into The Hulk.  This is a Bruce Banner who in his own way can be as dangerous as his monstrous alter ego.  And speaking of General Ross, William Hurt did a far better job of playing ol’ ‘Thunderbolt’ than I thought he would.  It’s almost a shame he had to follow Sam Elliot’s definitive performance as General Ross because I think if William Hurt had done it first, we all might be saying that his version of Ross is the definitive one as William Hurt is just that good.  And saying Tim Roth is a terrific actor is as obvious as saying water is wet.  It’s just a given that in any role, Tim Roth is going to do his usual excellent job.  The only acting disappointment in the movie was Liv Tyler.  Not that she’s terrible as Betty Ross.  Far from it.  She’s quite good.  Just not as good as Jennifer Connelly.

The CGI Hulk in this one is an improvement over the 2003 version.  He’s way more muscular and it looked to my eyes as if the CGI guys tried to find a medium between the gray and green versions of The Hulk in that there are some scenes where he looks greener and others where he looks grayer.  In any case it’s a more natural looking green and this Hulk is a truly terrifying creature.  I’ve always considered The Hulk’s arch enemy to be the entire United States Army and in the comics The Hulk had some truly epic battles with them and so he does in this movie.  And the final fight between The Hulk and Blonsky/The Abomination is jaw-droppingly awesome in its sheer savagery.

So should you see THE INCREDIBLE HULK?  Chances are you probably already have. I’m not even going to get into which is better, this one or the 2003 “Hulk” I like and enjoy each of them for what they are.  Both are extremely well made movies with valid interpretations of the source material.  There’s a whole lot of references and nods to the comic book, the TV show starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno as well as the animated ‘Hulk’ series from the 80’s and 90’s that will give long time fans a chuckle and there’s more than enough action and character drama to ensure a good time at the movies will be had by all.  Enjoy.

114 minutes

Rated PG-13

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hulk

2003

Universal Pictures/Marvel Enterprises 

Directed by Ang Lee

Produced by Avi Arad, Larry J. Franco, Gale Anne Hurd, James Schamus, Stan Lee, Kevin Feige

Screenplay by James Schamus, Michael France, John Turman

Based on “The Incredible Hulk” created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

 

Comic book fans.  God bless ‘em.  Somebody better bless ‘em ‘cause they most surely need it.  For me to amplify on that statement we have to go back to the 1970’s.  All the way back to when all there were was TV movies, cartoons and shows based on my favorite Marvel characters like The Hulk, Captain America, Dr. Strange and Spider-Man.  The Dr. Strange TV movie actually wasn’t that bad but the two Captain America movies were pretty poor.  The Spider-Man TV series boasted a Spider-Man that wore a belt and one webshooter on the outside of his costume.  The Hulk TV series actually was very good at times and is still fondly remembered.  When you mention The Hulk to the average non-comic book fan, it’s the TV show they’ll probably remember.

But ever since those dismal days of Made-For-TV movies that looked they were filmed in somebody’s backyards or highly unconvincing sets with actors who clearly were doing this for the paycheck, comic book fans have been bitching, moaning and whining.

They gnashed their teeth, tore at their clothing and prayed for a major superhero movie with a lavish budget for quality special effects.  With an Academy Award winning director and actors who truly cared about the material and would treat it with respect.  With a literate screenplay that emphasized the emotional, dramatic and psychological life of its characters and simply wasn’t punchy-punchy-run-run.

And then they got HULK and they proceeded to lose their mollyfoggin’ minds.

HULK is a movie that polarizes comic book fans.  They either love it or hate it.  The main argument against the movie I hear is that it’s “boring” which I honestly don’t understand.  The Hulk isn’t your usual superhero and there are elements of the character’s backstory that deal with child and spousal abuse, alcoholism, emotional trauma, megalomania, the ethical responsibility of science and its practitioners.  The Hulk isn’t about a guy who puts on a costume and goes out to beat up on the bad guys.  It’s another type of character and needs to be told in another kind of way.  Not that The Hulk can’t be utilized in a superhero universe.  He has.  It’s just that his origin story has to be faithful to the uniqueness of the character and HULK certainly is unique among superhero movies.

Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) is a bionuclear researcher working on a branch of nanotechnology called ‘nanomeds’ which has medical applications.  It’s a project that comes to the attention of Major Glenn Talbot (Josh Lucas).  Talbot envisions armies of soldiers who can heal themselves during combat using nanomeds.  Bruce isn’t interested.  Mainly because he just doesn’t like the military very much and he definitely doesn’t like Talbot who is most certainly interested in not only Bruce’s research but also his co-researcher and ex-girlfriend Betty Ross (Jennifer Connelly).  Betty father, General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Sam Elliott) is keeping an eye on all of them.  Betty and her father already have a strained relationship because of Bruce as General Ross has urged her time and again to stay away from him.

Turns out that in this instance, Daddy does know best.  After an accident in the lab in which Bruce is exposed to a insanely high dose of gamma radiation he finds himself in times of emotional stress turning into a seven foot tall, one thousand pound green skinned man-monster driven by rage.  Unknown to Bruce, his DNA has been mutated due to experiments his father David Banner (Nick Nolte) performed upon himself, those experiments uncannily similar to Bruce’s.  It’s the combination of Bruce’s already mutated DNA with the gamma radiation that gives birth to The Hulk.

Let me put it to you in the simplest way I can: you’re not gonna get “Hulk Smash!” in this one.  There is an absolutely wonderful battle between The Hulk and the Thunderbolt Ross led forces of the United States Army in the desert that is taken right from countless Hulk comic books but The Hulk pounding the piss outta the bad guys isn’t what’s at stake here.  You’ll have to wait for the Ed Norton starring “The Incredible Hulk” to get that.

What we have here is a movie about two adults who have been emotionally scarred by their parents.  Their true union is a struggle to heal their damaged psyches.  Both Bruce and Betty are victims of the monstrous egos of their respective fathers.  In Bruce’s case it causes him to turn into the living embodiment of his repressed rage.  In Betty’s case it causes her to be almost uncontrollably drawn to emotionally repressed men who can never give her what she truly needs to contribute to a healthy romantic relationship.

Heavy stuff for a superhero movie, huh?  Sure it is.  But it’s anything but boring and not every superhero movie has to be about punching out the bad guys.  HULK is more about how most of us are our own bad guys.

And directors of superhero movies could learn something from the astonishing visual techniques Ang Lee uses to not so much try to literally duplicate the storytelling methods of comic books but his strategy here seems to be to suggest those methods and not beat us over the head with it.  It’s amazing to watch a director use the split screen technique in a way that is truly different.  He uses pictures within picture, foreground and background merging with each other.  That’s why I never understand those who say that HULK is boring.  It’s a movie that is always moving just through the imaginative transitions from scene to the next.

But bitter waters come with the sweet and as much as I like HULK I have to agree with those of you who hate the Gamma Dogs sequence.  First of all; Gamma Dogs?  And second, the way it’s filmed at night it’s difficult to tell what’s going on.  And while Nick Nolte is one of my favorite actors I watch this movie and can’t help but wonder what movie did he think he was in.  And that ending is absolutely incomprehensible.  Mark Bousquet in his excellent review  of HULK says that the movie should have ended when The Hulk is transformed back into Bruce by the calming presence of Betty Ross and falls into her arms.  And he’s absolutely right.  We get another twenty minutes of Nick Nolte ranting and raving and trying to explain to Bruce what his deal is.  And there’s another nighttime fight except this one takes place in a lake where we really can’t see what the cuss is going on.

This is a movie where I can’t find fault with anybody’s acting job.  Sam Elliott is the definitive Thunderbolt Ross.  Jennifer Connelly continues to show why she’s one of the most dependable actresses working today.  I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen her turn in a bad performance.  Eric Bana makes for an interesting Bruce Banner.  He doesn’t play him as a wimp or as a weakling.  His Bruce Banner is a guy who has been dealt some pretty hard knocks by life ever since he was knee high to a knee and it’s taken his toll on his emotional make-up.

I’ve long given up trying to get comic book fans to see HULK through my eyes.  They hate it, they’re gonna hate it and I have come to terms with that.  I enjoy HULK and put it on the shelf with movies such as “The Rocketeer” “The Phantom” and “Speed Racer” which most people don’t like but I feel as if the filmmakers made those movies just for me.  I like to call HULK an art house superhero movie.  I’ve heard various critics call it a superhero movie for people who don’t like superhero movies.  Bottom line is this: HULK isn’t for everybody but I am glad it’s for me.

138 minutes

PG-13

Iron Man 2

2010

Paramount Pictures/Marvel Studios

Directed by Jon Favreau

Produced by Kevin Feige and Susan Downey

Written by Justin Theroux

Based on “Iron Man” created by Stan Lee, Larry Leiber, Don Heck and Jack Kirby and published by Marvel Comics.

I think the success of the first “Iron Man” and IRON MAN 2 has to be given to both Robert Downey, Jr. and Jon Favreau.  Nothing in their past movie work indicated that either of them were capable of producing such a hip, smart and fun superhero movie as the first one and they’ve pulled off the feat of making a sequel that is just as hip, smart and fun.  IRON MAN 2 isn’t better than the first one. But it’s just as good and sometimes when you’re making a superhero movies that is examined with such a critical eye by lifelong fans of such a wildly popular character, ‘just as good’ is as good as you can possibly get.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) seemingly has the world on a golden string.  Thanks to his Iron Man technology he’s made the world a safer place.  He’s hosting a Stark Expo, reviving a tradition started by his late father Howard Stark (John Slattery) where he outlines a plan for world peace.  Tony’s so beloved by the American public that he can tell a Congressional Committee on national TV to go to hell.  The Committee, headed by Senator Stern (Gary Shandling) demands that the Iron Man technology be given over to The Defense Department and Tony being the arrogant narcissistic genius that he is (hey, that’s what it says in his file) refuses, assuring the Committee that the rest of the world is years away from having anything remotely close to his technology.

That’s before Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) shows up, wielding fearsome whip-like weapons powered by a duplicate of the arc reactor that powers Iron Man and keeps Tony Stark alive.  The secret of Vanko’s power source is wrapped up in a mystery involving Vanko’s father as well as Tony’s.  A secret that is shared by the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) who is aware that Tony is dying from palladium poisoning.  Palladium is a necessary component of the arc reactor and won’t work without it.  There’s only one way to save Tony’s life but that involves the impossible: creating a new element.

But Tony may not have time to accomplish that feat seeing as how his best friend Air Force Lt. Colonel James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes has given the Defense Department Tony’s Mark II version of the Iron Man armor.  The suit is handed over to Tony’s main business rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) with instructions to weaponize the suit to the max.  Doing so will turn the wearer of the armor in a veritable War Machine.  Fortunately Tony has plenty of help thanks to his able assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) who steps up to the plate and takes over running Tony’s company while he’s dealing with his multiple problems.  And as always, Tony is ably backed up by his bodyguard/chauffeur Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) And if that isn’t enough, there’s Tony’s new assistant Natalie Rushman ( Scarlett Johansson) who is really S.H.I.E.L.D. agent extraordinaire Natasha Romanoff aka The Black Widow.

Now even in that brief summation of the plot you should get the impression that there’s a lot going on in IRON MAN 2 and you’re absolutely right.  There’s a whole lot going on but the story isn’t anywhere as confusing as I’ve heard folks say it is.  And I appreciate a superhero hero movie that has a lot of pieces in play.  There are a lot of characters in the movie and they’ve all got their own agendas working.  It makes for a story where all the characters have something at stake and aren’t just hanging around.

Robert Downey, Jr. once more does a masterful job of playing Tony Stark/Iron Man.  I don’t know of another actor today who can play such an arrogant jerk and make us love him.  I put it down toDowney’s unpredictability as an actor.  You just don’t know what he’s going to do next but you know it’s going to be amazing.  The rapport he has with Gwyneth Paltrow on screen is nothing short of terrific.  It’s truly fun to watch anytime they’re on screen together.

Don Cheadle replaces Terrence Howard as Tony’s best friend Rhodey and it’s an upgrade as Cheadle is by far the better of the two actors and he and Downey have a much better on-screen rapport.  Gary Shandling is surprisingly good in a small but pivotal role.  Sam Rockwell doesn’t play the Justin Hammer of the comics but his incarnation of the character is just fine by me.  Sam Rockwell is one of the most dependable actors working today as I don’t believe he’s capable of turning in a bad performance.  Mickey Rourke fits in surprisingly well as the main bad guy.  Rourke’s character doesn’t say a whole lot but his actions are what sets everything else in the movie in motion and Hammer as he is in this movie simply isn’t strong enough of an antagonist for Tony Stark/Iron Man but I strongly suspect we’ll be seeing Justin Hammer again and he’ll be a lot meaner next time around.

What else?  The screenplay by Justin Theroux is marvelously smart and witty and contains actual dialog and not stock conversations we’ve heard in a dozen other action/superhero movies.  Everybody has a unique voice and it’s always a pleasure to listen to dialog written by somebody who knows how to write it.  My major gripe with this movie?  You’re not gonna believe it but here goes: would it really have killed them to name Clark Gregg’s character Jasper Sitwell?  Because I don’t care what they call him, that’s who he’s playing.  And I want more Black Widow movies starring Scarlett Johansson.

So should you see IRON MAN 2?  Chances are you already have and at this point are either giving me a nod of agreement or giving me the digitus impudicus.  I thought it was a whole lot of fun and that’s what I want to see in a superhero movie.  I like to see a superhero movie where the superhero is having fun being one.  I like to see superheroes having adventures and overcoming adversity and defeating bad guys and saving the day.  I’m tired of superhero movies where the so-called hero is whining that he can’t catch a break or pay his rent (I’m looking at you, Spider-Man) or wrestling with his inner turmoil and existential angst while bemoaning that he must labor under the curse of having superpowers.  Sometimes you just want to recapture the wonder and excitement you felt when you were twelve years old on a summer Saturday afternoon with nothing to do but read a stack of your favorite comic books.  IRON MAN 2 will make you feel like that if you give it a chance.

PG-13

124 minutes

Iron Man

2008

Marvel Enterprises

Directed by Jon Favreau

Screenplay by Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway

Based on “Iron Man” created by Stan Lee, Don Heck, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby and published by Marvel Comics

Produced by Avi Arad and Kevin Feigh

 

When I was growing up and my friends and I devoured Marvel Comics as fast as we could get ‘em, all my friends liked Spider-Man.  Which I could never understand.  Spider-Man was a nerdy loser who was always broke, never got the girl, was picked on unmercifully at school and things just never seemed to work out for him.  Which is what my life was like at that stage of my evolution.  So I could never fathom why I would want to read a comic about somebody whose life was as crappy as mine.  Hell, I didn’t have to read comics to know that life wasn’t fair.  I lived it.  I wanted to be Tony Stark.  Now that guy had the life.  Billionaire technological genius.  Brilliant inventor.  Had so many fine women he tripped over ‘em constantly.  Fleets of sports cars and private planes.  Let a team of superheroes live in his mansion and bankrolled their operation.  All that and he had the world’s most powerful weapon: a suit of hi-tech armor that turned Tony Stark into the greatest fighting machine on the face of the Earth: IRON MAN.  Watching the movie  brought back a whole lot of feelings for why I fell in love with the character years ago.  And a lot of that has to do with the outstanding performance of Robert Downey, Jr. the direction of Jon Favreau and the excellent screenplay.  Everybody involved with this movie obviously took time to do their homework and read the comics because what’s up there on the screen is extremely close to the tone and spirit of the comic books.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is delightfully enjoying his blatantly hedonistic lifestyle filled with women, liquor and trips around the world at a moment’s notice.  He’s babysat by his BFF Air Force Colonel James Rhodes (Terrance Howard) and his loyal Girl Friday Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) who both worry and fret over Tony like Jewish grandmothers.  But Tony assures them there’s nothing to worry about, that’s he’s got it all under control.  Except when Tony has to demonstrate his latest weapon of mass destruction, the fearsome Jericho missile system in Afghanistan.  His armed escort is wiped out and Tony himself is captured by the terrorist group known as The Ten Rings who demand that he build the Jericho for them.  Complicating the situation is the fact that Tony has a chest full of shrapnel that ironically came from a bomb his own company built.  With the aid of a fellow captive (Shaun Toub) Tony is not only able to construct a device to keep the shrapnel away from his heart but also to build a crude but highly effective suit of iron armor that enables him to get away from his captors.

Not that his situation back in theUnited Statesis much better.  Tony’s business partner Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) doesn’t like it at all when Tony has a moment of clarity and announces that Stark Enterprises will no longer manufacture munitions.  Even Pepper and Jim Rhodes wonder if this is for real or some sort of publicity stunt on Tony’s part.  But Tony is quite serious.  So serious that he seals himself up in his basement workshop and proceeds to improve upon his armor design.  And he’s going to need it, especially when The Ten Rings find his crude prototype armor in the desert and begin piecing it back together.  But they need help to upgrade and improve the armor.  And that forces Tony Stark to come to terms with who has been and what he wants to be in the future.

While I thought IRON MAN was simply outstanding I can’t shake the feeling there’s going to be those who will complain that like the Ang Lee directed “Hulk” IRON MAN doesn’t have enough action.  But the movie isn’t so much about action as about Tony Stark understanding what he’s become and his desire to be better than what he has been.  To leave a legacy other than one of death and destruction.  And the wonderful thing about Tony Stark is that he’s just as badass and cool when he’s out of the armor as when he’s in it.  He’s not like a Superman or Batman in that their alter egos are radically different from their superhero personas.  Tony is a man used to using technology to accomplish his goals and that’s what the armor is: another piece of technology that enables him to save lives instead of taking them.  And if you want another reason for why this movie isn’t action heavy…well, actually Tony Stark doesn’t become Iron Man until the end of the movie.  This is very much an origin story and it’s a really good one.  The motivations are there, the characterizations are there and as Tony learns about the capabilities and potential of his latest creation we’re right there with him.

Robert Downey, Jr. owns Tony Stark/Iron Man much in the same way that Michael Keaton owned Batman/Bruce Wayne and Christopher Reeve owned Superman/Clark Kent. Downeyand Favreau understand that if we don’t care about Tony Stark when he’s out of the suit we sure as hell won’t care for him when he’s in it. Downey’s Tony Stark is certainly a major prick in the first hour of the movie but he’s one of those charming pricks who can make you love him even while he’s screwing you over.  This is another terrific performance from one of my favorite actors and it’s really fun watchingDowneyat work.  Gwyneth Paltrow radiates sexy intelligence as Pepper Potts and the scenes between her andDowneyare really great.  Terrence Howard could have had more to do as Jim Rhodes but he does have a nice little bit in Tony’s workshop when Rhodes looks at one of Tony’s prototype armors that leads me to think there’s going to be far more for Jim Rhodes to do in future sequels.  Surprisingly enough, the only actor I have a problem with is Jon Favreau who cast himself as “Happy” Hogan, Tony Stark’s driver.  Since he’s also the director Favreau gives himself way too many scenes where Hogan is standing around looking over Stark’s shoulder looking all serious but not really contributing anything to the scene or the story overall.

The special effects are outstanding.  There were a lot of scenes where I’m positive I wasn’t looking at CGI but at a man in a suit of hi-tech armor.  But after awhile I gave up trying to figure out when Iron Man was CGI and when he wasn’t and just sat back to enjoy the ride.  I dunno about you but I enjoy watching a superhero movie where the superhero is actually enjoying using his powers for good and there’s a definite sense of fun and adventure.  That’s not to say that IRON MAN doesn’t have its darker moments but the wit and intelligence of the characters and the story lifts it out of the “oh, I have such a burden to bear…woe is me” bag that most superhero movies are in.  These characters don’t have time to sit around and moan about how bad their lives are.  They’re smart enough to get up and do something about it.

Jeff Bridges almost steals the show as Obadiah Stane and Clark Gregg is quietly hilarious as Agent Phil Coulson.  In fact, one of the most amazing things about the Marvel Movie Universe is how Clark Gregg/Agent Coulson has become the MVP.  It’s gotten to the point where I don’t look for Stan Lee cameos.  I look for Agent Coulson.

So should you see IRON MAN?  If you haven’t already I don’t know what’s wrong with you.  It’s a really smart, fun movie with engaging characters and a bedrock solid plot.  The writers have done a great job updating Iron Man’s origin and I applaud them for not shying away from portraying Tony Stark as what he is: a weapons manufacturer with all the ramifications that go along with that profession.  IRON MAN doesn’t get heavy into the politics but just enough to give the story added weight.   IRON MAN has rightly earned its place as the crown jewel of Marvel movies.  It, along with “Captain America” “Thor” and the two “Hulk” movies are the Marvel superhero movies I’ve been dreaming, hoping and praying to see ever since I was ten years old and I’m glad I’ve gotten to see them.

Rated: PG-13

126 minutes

 

 

 

 

Hulk Vs.

 

HULK VS.

2009

Marvel Animation/Lionsgate Home Entertainment

It’s taken me some time to finally get around to watching this one, I know.  Especially since it’s been around for so long.  I’ve been  prompted by the long-awaited “Avengers” movie which will be hitting theaters in a week to devoting time to watching the animated Marvel superhero movies I haven’t seen and re-watching the live action movies that I have.  I’m fairly familiar with the DC animated movies as I enjoy the stories and the animation much better than the Marvel animated movies that I have seen.  But as HULK VS. features two of my favorite Marvel superheroes going at it toe-to-toe, there was no way I couldn’t start with this one first.

 

HULK VS. THOR

Directed by Sam Liu

Produced by Frank Paur

Story by Craig Kyle and Frank Paur

Screenplay by Christopher Yost

 

Once a year in the fabled kingdom of Asgard, All-Father Odin lapses into the fabled Odinsleep for one week to regenerate his divine power.  During that week, every evil power in The Nine Worlds assaults Asgard, hoping to either destroy Odin or take his power.  But the faithful warriors of Asgard, led by Thor, the God of Thunder (Matthew Wolf) have always successfully protected Odin.

But this time, Loki, the God of Mischief (Graham McTavish) has what he thinks is a trick that will work.  He’s snatched Dr. Bruce Banner (Bryce Johnson) from Earth and brought him to Asgard.  With the aid of Amora The Enchantress (Kari Wahlgren) Loki magically separates The Hulk from Banner.  This enables Loki to gain full control over the man-monster and sends him on a rampage through Asgard.  Without Bruce Banner’s soul to provide some form of control over The Hulk, he’s now the very incarnation of pure rage and totally unstoppable.  Wave after wave of Asgard’s best warriors try to take down The Hulk and get the immortal piss walloped outta them.

And then we get to the moment we’ve been waiting for when Thor brings the thunder and lighting.  Not to mention his enchanted war hammer Mjolnir which he then proceeds to layeth the smackdown on the green varlet.  Let the ass-kicking commence.

 

While I liked HULK VS. THOR a lot more than HULK VS. WOLVERINE I didn’t like how Thor was portrayed as pretty much The Hulk’s punching bag in their fight.  There’s a scene about a minute, maybe a minute and a half long which it nothing but The Hulk pounding mercilessly on Thor.  Indeed, so badly is Thor beaten up that Hela, the daughter of Loki and the Asgardian goddess of death attempts to claim his soul. My own opinion is that Thor can beat just about anybody in The Marvel Universe and he certainly can beat The Hulk.  But hey, I didn’t write the story.  What I did like is how the story takes an unexpected twist when Loki kills Banner and as a result, The Hulk can’t be sent back to Earth since Banner’s soul now belongs to Hela.  This forces Thor and Loki to team up to recover Bruce Banner’s soul and reunite it with The Hulk before The Hulk destroys Asgard completely.

The animation isn’t anything to cheer about.  It’s of high quality, yes, but I’ve been spoiled by the DC animated features which are regularly spectacular.  But don’t get me wrong, now.  I’m recommending HULK VS. THOR.  It’s a solid, very well made straight-up superhero story that delighted me with its Old School 60’s/70’s Marvel vibe.  And I loved the final scene homage to the “Incredible Hulk” TV series.

 

 

 

HULK VS. WOLVERINE

Directed and Produced by Frank Paur

Screenplay by Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost

The Hulk is on a rampage in the wilds of Canada.  Apparently he’s destroyed a small town and Wolverine is brought in by Department H to stop him.  What puzzles Wolverine (Steven Blum) is the numerous spent shell casings and heavy scent of gunpowder still in the air.  Somebody spent a lot of bullets trying to stop The Hulk but failed.  There’s also an odd toxic smell that Wolverine believes he can use to track The Hulk.

Wolverine soon tracks down Bruce Banner (Bryce Johnson) and slaps him around as Wolverine detects the same toxic smell on him.  The slapping around results in making Bruce Banner mad and we all know what happens when he gets mad.  The adamantium claws come out.  Let the ass-kicking commence.

The situation becomes complicated when Team X, composed of Deadpool, Omega Red, Lady Deathstrike and Sabretooth show up.  They’ve been tracking The Hulk for weeks so as to capture him for Weapon X, the same project that created Wolverine by bonding adamantium to his skeleton.  It was actually Team X that destroyed the town fighting The Hulk and those were Deadpool’s bullet casings.   Both The Hulk and Wolverine are drugged and taken to the Weapon X facility where they will both have their memories erased and be used as living weapons.  It’s up to Wolverine to somehow escape, set The Hulk free and stay alive while Team X tries to kill or recapture the both of them.

HULK VS. WOLVERINE is pretty much a Wolverine story that guest-stars The Hulk.  Unlike HULK VS. THOR where The Hulk/Bruce Banner is an active character in the action of the story and it’s Bruce Banner’s choice that resolves the story’s conflict.  The villains in the story are Wolverine’s villains and the story stops cold at one point so that we can flashback to Wolverine’s origins.  And except for The Hulk, there’s no characters in the story I really care about or am interested in.  Wolverine has become the most overexposed and overrated character in comics in the last twenty years.  Deadpool I’ve never gotten the point of.  He’s supposed to be this utterly hilarious character but damned if I can see it.  As for Sabretooth, Lady Deathstrike and Omega Red…meh.  Now that I’ve said all that, you may find it odd that I now say that “Wolverine: Origins” is one of my favorite superhero movies and I enjoyed both Wolverine and Deadpool in that one but that’s another review.

But it’s not all bad and considering it’s called HULK VS. WOLVERINE there’s no point in my BMW’ing about a movie that told me up front it’s just going to be a slugfest which is exactly what HULK VS. is from start to finish.  It’s made for longtime fans of these characters and it’s well worth a viewing on a Saturday afternoon.  HULK VS. THOR is 45 minutes long while HULK VS. WOLVERINE is 37 minutes long so it’s not going to take up half your day watching it.  The short run time of both stories means that there’s no filler scenes of unnecessary padding.  It’s straight action from start to finish.  Enjoy

 

 

 

 

Batman: Year One

 

2011

Warner Bros. Animation/DC Entertainment

Directed by Sam Liu and Lauren Montgomery

Produced by Alan Burnett and Lauren Montgomery

Screenplay by Tab Murphy

Based on “Batman: Year One” by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli

 

While Marvel Comics is consistently hitting home runs with their film adaptations of their classic superhero characters, DC Comics is a hit or miss proposition.  We’ve gotten used to Marvel superhero movies being nothing short of epic but DC superhero movies are something of a crapshoot.  I think it’s safe to say that their misses outweigh their hits by a significant margin.  My solution for this is simple: let the talents who produce the DC Animated Films take over doing the live-action movies.  I do not joke.  The talents doing the animated movies have proven over more than two decades now that they’re more in touch with who these characters are and how to tell their stories.  Let’s take BATMAN: YEAR ONE for instance.  The producers and writer of the movie, realizing that the story they had to work with was so strong and so cinematic that they wisely decided there was no need to muck around with it.  So what you’re getting is an amazingly literal translation of the graphic novel to animation.  And it works very well.

Bruce Wayne (Benjamin McKenzie) returns to Gotham City after twelve years abroad.  In that time he’s learned a staggering array of skills ranging from martial arts to spiritual disciplines to science in a dozen different disciplines.  The pain of his parents being murdered right in front of him has not gone away.  But Bruce has no idea how to direct that anger or satisfy his thirst for vengeance.  His first attempt at cleaning up the streets of Gotham is a disaster, leaving him bleeding to death in Wayne Manor.  In delirious despair, he prays to a marble bust of his father for a sign that he should continue his war on crime.  And he gets it.

Lt. James Gordon (Bryan Cranston) has transferred from Chicago’s police department to Gotham with his pregnant wife Barbara (Grey DeLisle) to start a new life and new career.  After having testified against crooked cops in Chicago, it was impossible for Gordon to continue on there but he is appalled and astounded to find that the corruption in Gotham is far worse.   He’s partnered with Detective Flass (Fred Tastasciore) who makes no secret of his taking bribes from drug dealers and Gordon quickly realizes that even Police Commissioner Loeb (Jon Polito) is in on the graft.  Gordon struggles to look the other way but as events unfold, Gotham’s underworld is being terrorized by a dark and terrifying vigilante the media quickly names ‘The Batman’.  Gotham’s police and criminal element unite to kill The Batman and Gordon realizes that he must make a decision as to how he’s going to live his life in Gotham City and what kind of cop he’s going to be.

 

Sounds like heavy stuff for what a lot of folks would term ‘a cartoon’, right?  Well, yeah, it is.  And I think that’s why I enjoyed BATMAN: YEAR ONE so much.  I got the definite impression that the producers didn’t approach this as an ‘animated movie’ but simply as a ‘movie’ and it shows.  There’s a wealth of emotional, moral and psychological complexity that you don’t find in a lot of live-action superhero movies.  This is easily as good as Christopher Nolan’s two Batman movies and indeed, there are elements of BATMAN: YEAR ONE that were lifted and placed in the Nolan movies.

The voice work is very good.  I like Bryan Cranston a lot as he’s a versatile actor which you know if you’ve seen him in “Malcolm In The Middle” and “Breaking Bad” and he does a good James Gordon.  Benjamin McKenzie isn’t bad at all.  In fact, he’s good but it’s just that I’ve been so spoiled by Kevin Conroy that I can’t help but feel disappointed when he’s not voicing Batman/Bruce Wayne. Eliza Dushku, Katee Sackhoff, Alex Rocco and Jon Polito are all standouts as well.

So should you see BATMAN: YEAR ONE?  If you’re a Batman fan, you probably already have.  As my good friend Chris Munn pointed out to me, there are no surprises in this movie if you’ve read the graphic novel as it sticks to the story beat for beat.  But in this instance I don’t mind because this story of how Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon deal with their first year of living in Gotham City and how they begin their respective careers didn’t need to be changed a bit.

Now if you haven’t seen BATMAN: YEAR ONE and want to, let me give you word of warning: this isn’t Batman for the kiddies.  Go Netflix the 1966 “Batman’ starring Adam West and Burt Ward for them.  This is a dark and mature story that explores adult subject matter.  But by all means, check it out.  Especially if you’ve seen the Nolan Batman movies, this makes for a great companion piece to those excellent films.  Enjoy.

68 minutes

Rated PG-13

 

 

 

Kick-Ass

2010

Universal Pictures/Lionsgate

Directed by Matthew Vaughn

Screenplay by Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman

Produced by Adam Bohling, Brad Pitt, Tarquin Pack, David Reid, Kris Thykier and Matthew Vaughn

Based on the comic book written by Mark Millar and illustrated by John S. Romita, Jr.

 

Is an individual a superhero because they have powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men?  Or because they’re driven by passions, hurts and fears so spiritually painful that they have no choice but to put on a costume and seek vengeance?  Or do they have a need to help their fellow man and make the world a better place?  Maybe it’s simply because they want to KICK-ASS.

The movie KICK-ASS starts out as if it’s going to be an exploration of those themes and ideas.  Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is a perfectly ordinary New York high school teenager with typical teenager problems: he’s picked on and robbed by bullies and girls ignore him.  His major interest in life is comic books and Dave becomes obsessed with why nobody in real life has ever tried to become a superhero.  His best friends Marty (Clark Duke) and Todd (Evan Peters) tell him quite sensibly that it’s because if anybody ever did try to be a superhero in real life they’d most likely get their ass handed to them.

Despite this common sense advice, Dave throws together a costume and tries his hand at being a real life superhero.  The fact he has no powers or training in anything whatsoever does nothing to deter the plucky lad.   His first attempt has such a blackly humorous turn that even while I was laughing hysterically I was wincing.  Believe it or not, the outcome of the attempt does actually give Dave an edge of sorts in fights and he tries again, this time armed with a pair of nightsticks and being successful in fighting off three men walloping the piss out of one guy and taking quite a beating himself.  Naturally it ends up on YouTube and before you know it, New York has itself a real live superhero: Kick-Ass.

Soon, Kick-Ass has the goodwill of all New York and is a media sensation.  He’s also come to the attention of crime czar Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong) who believes its Kick-Ass who’s been stealing his drug money and killing his dealers.  The real culprits are Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) who have a personal score to settle with D’Amico and are determined to take him down by any means necessary.  Big Daddy and Hit Girl are much more suited for the superhero biz than Kick-Ass.  They’ve actually trained for this profession and are martial arts masters as well as marksmen of near superhuman accuracy.  And with the drug money they’ve been stealing from D’Amico they’re able to buy all kinds of neat toys.  They’re also conscienceless killers.

In the meantime, Dave has actually managed to begin a relationship with his dream girl, Katie (Lyndsy Fonseca) and is considering giving up being Kick-Ass as things are becoming more complicated with his being involved in the war between D’Amico and Big Daddy.  But then a new superhero arrives on the scene, Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and he’s got a hidden agenda of his own that will change the lives of everybody involved.

On the surface, KICK-ASS may resemble “Watchmen” in that the superheroes in the movie really aren’t super, if you know what I mean.  They’re more or less costumed martial artists.  Especially Kick-Ass who’s only superpower appears to be that he can survive beatings that would put professional fighters in the hospital for a month.  Especially Hit Girl who’s like a four foot tall Jet Li on crack when in combat.  But KICK-ASS has a really black and warped sense of humor it brings to the table, especially in the scenes with D’Amico and his gang.  A sense of humor that was lacking in “Watchmen”

But the sense of humor really doesn’t synch with the amazing action scenes which are extremely violent, shockingly brutal and downright vicious.  I think the movie makes the point that trying to be a real life superhero really isn’t a good idea in some of those scenes but it’s all negated by the really over-the-top final showdown which plays like a weird combination of John Woo and Wile E. Coyote.  And speaking of the final showdown I’m not entirely comfortable with the decision made by Dave/Kick-Ass.  It’s as if he throws away the values and ideals that made him want to become a superhero and therefore the movie isn’t about superheroes anymore and turns into a bloody revenge flick with costumed vigilantes.

The acting is very good in this one.  All of the actors look as if they’re having a great time with the material.  Especially Chloe Grace Moretz who walks off with the movie in her back pocket.   She’s got such acting confidence it’s awesome to watch her work.  She’s just that good.  Nicholas Cage surprisingly isn’t in the movie as much as you might think from the trailers and ads but his character is a pivotal one and the acting choice he makes while playing Big Daddy brought howls of laughter and claps of appreciation from the audience I saw the movie with.  And this is the first movie in a long time where Cage actually turns in a performance and doesn’t just fall back on doing Elvis.  Between KICK-ASS and “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans” we just may be seeing a Nicholas Cage who’s starting to give a damn about his acting again.

Aaron Johnson is an actor I’m not familiar with but he brings a sweet Peter Parker-ish vibe to his character.  He is so unsuited to being a superhero it’s almost sad but there’s something about the way he continues on being Kick-Ass even after he quite graphically experiences the dangers and violence of the gig that makes you root for him anyway.  Clark Duke and Evan Peters are there strictly for comic relief and they do their jobs with intelligence, skill and as such get most of the movie’s biggest laughs.

So should you see KICK-ASS?  It’s not exactly what I would call a fun superhero movie but it is extremely well made and well acted.  It makes for a good Saturday night double feature with “Watchmen” The folks who worked on this movie didn’t insult my intelligence and I appreciate that.  Netflix and enjoy.

 

117 minutes

Rated R: For graphic language and violence.  And I do mean graphic with a capital G.  Just because it’s got a bunch of people jumping around in costumes and looking they’re having fun don’t think this is made for the kiddies.  This is a movie made for adults.

Captain America

2011

Marvel Studios/Paramount Pictures

Directed by Joe Johnston

Produced by Kevin Feige

Screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely

Based on “Captain America” created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby

Before we get into the review, please indulge me for a minute…hit it:

I had hopes that when Jon Favreau snuck in the 1960’s Iron Man theme song, they’d find a way to do it in other movies based on Marvel superheroes.  Such was not the case.  “Star-Spangled Man” was okay, but it can’t beat this song.  Maybe in the sequel.  And I have no doubt that there will be a sequel as CAPTAIN AMERICA is in my head, fighting “Iron Man” and “Thor” as the best Marvel superhero movie made to date.  Joe Johnston doesn’t get a single thing wrong in this movie which is actually two movies in one: it’s not only a superhero movie but it’s a World War II movie as well and never do the two elements clash with each other.

4F Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) tries time and time again to enlist in the U.S. Army as he desperately wants to do his part and fight the Nazis.  But his list of physical aliments prevents that until chance puts him in the path of Professor Erskine (Stanley Tucci).  The professor left Germany to willingly work for the United States on his greatest experiment: The Super Soldier Serum which can transform a man into the perfect human.  Erskine wants to try his serum on Steve as he is impressed with the man’s heart and compassion.

Colonel Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) the head of the Super Soldier Project isn’t so sure this scrawny specimen is the right man.  But Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) of the Strategic Scientific Reserve agrees with Erskine and the experiment goes ahead.  Steve is endowed with enhanced strength, reflexes, heightened senses and a metabolism that heals him at a faster rate than normal.  Tragedy dims the success of the project and as a result Steve is regulated to being used a mere publicity tool to sell war bonds, going on USO tours as ‘Captain America’ dressed in a gaudy red, white and blue costume.

But over in Europe, the war isn’t waiting for Steve.  Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) is the head of HYDRA, a separate organization within the Nazi party dedicated to developing advanced weaponry for its own purposes.  Schmidt is also known as The Red Skull, due to an unfortunate side effect of Erskine’s Super Soldier Serum which he took himself.  Along with his chief scientist Arnim Zola (Toby Jones) The Red Skull has his own plan of world domination that doesn’t involve Hitler.

Things really kick into high gear when Steve, fed up with being treated as a joke, goes on a one-man rescue mission behind enemies lines to rescue his best friend James Buchanan ‘Bucky’ Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and over four hundred prisoners of war, including a bunch of fightin’ fools known as The Howling Commandos (Neil McDonough, Derek Luke, Kenneth Choi, Bruno Ricci and J.J. Field).

Captain America, now a front line soldier with Bucky and The Howling Commandos backing him up as well as a new protective uniform and shield developed by genius inventor/industrialist/futurist Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) is regarded as a genuine real American hero.  His battles are rapidly becoming the stuff of legend.  But it’s a legend that may be cut short when he finally confronts The Red Skull…

There are so many things that CAPTAIN AMERICA gets right I could easily take about an hour listing them.  Elements of the origin are moved around but the spirit of the character is intact.  Chris Evans finds exactly the right note for Steve Rogers/Captain America and never strays from it.  Just like when he played Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in the two “Fantastic Four” movies, I get the impression that he took the time to read the comics.

The only problem I have with Tommy Lee Jones is that his character wasn’t named “Happy Sam” Sawyer since to me that’s who he’s playing.  Neil McDonough is absolutely scary in how much he looks like “Dum Dum” Dugan.  And he sounds exactly like I always heard Dugan’s voice in my head while reading those “Sgt. Fury” comic books.  The changes in the relationship between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes is one I thought made that relationship even stronger.  I really liked how Tony Stark’s dad got in on a lot of the action and we get to see a lot of where Tony gets his swagger from.  Hugo Weaving and Toby Jones make for an effective pair of bad guys and Hayley Atwell steals every scene she’s in as Peggy Carter, a woman definitely ahead of her time.

But the star behind the scenes is Joe Johnston who I’ve been telling you folks for years now is a genius.  Hopefully the success of CAPTAIN AMERICA will cause people to finally acknowledge “The Rocketeer” as the masterpiece it is.  And “Jurassic Park III” and “The Wolfman” ain’t bad either.

So should you see CAPTAIN AMERICA?  Are you kidding me?  What are you waiting for?

PG-13

124 minutes