Tag Archives: movies based on comic books
Not all that bad, actually
2008 is pretty much over in terms of movies. Sure, we have the holiday rush to get as many family oriented ones out as possible, but there’s nothing any of us are actually looking forward to (except Quantum of Solace, can’t WAIT). Thanks to this lull, and to the insane “time to home video” capabilities of the movie industry, we’re now able to view the ones we might have missed in theaters relatively quickly.
And you know what? 2008 was a pretty good year, in terms of movies! At least, the big ones.
- 27 Dresses: This movie was actually a LOT of fun! I personally have a bit of a thing for Katherine Heigl, but even if you don’t this is a fun date movie. No, nothing geeky in it . . . but geeks need dates too.
- Mad Money: Totally worth the time and whole $1 it took to RedBox it. Not a bad movie, by any means, just not a great movie.
- Definitely, Maybe: This one was surprisingly good. Maybe it’s just that I’ve also gone through a divorce that I will one day have to explain to my child, but the story and characters were spot on. If you are married, this would be a good one to watch. If you are dating, skip it; typically a mood killer to watch a faux-documentary on why relationships fail.
- Jumper: OK, not all the movies were good.
- Be Kind, Rewind: GREAT MOVIE!!!! Nothing more I can really say!
- The Other Boleyn Girl: It’s been on our media center for months, and not even my wife can bring herself to watch it. From people who have seen it, it’s apparantly very good. If you’re into that sort of thing in the first place, I guess.
- The Bank Job: Not a Top-Notch job by Jason Statham, but really good overall movie!
- The Forbidden Kingdom: Not at all what I was expecting! Did you know there’s a white kid in it? He’s supposedly the main character! Go fig. Overall it was very enjoyable, with a better plot than most other martial art flicks, good action, wonderful scenery, and a nice touch of Chinese mythology.
- Baby Mama: Tina Fey has an odd habit of making outrageously funny things seem subtle. They aren’t, but somehow you think they are. This way you still get the laughs, but it’s not Happy Gilmore.
- Iron Man: I know everyone else saw it in theaters, but I didn’t. I’ll let everyone else’s review speak for themselves, but it was really good.
- Made of Honor: This one is more for the ladies. Guys, you can get through it (it’s not that bad really), but you won’t get as much enjoyment out of it. Special guest appearance by Greg Dean of Real Life Comics.
- Speed Racer: Actually a lot of fun. I won’t say it’s my favorite film of all time (it doesn’t even rank on my top 20), but you can make it through it, enjoy it, care about the characters, and it keeps the kids occupied. Few other movies can pull that off.
- What Happens In Vegas: I’ve never heard Cameron Diaz swear so much in my life. I’m also beginning to think she doesn’t age. In any case, the movie is a lot of fun, and another enjoyable date movie.
- Kung Fu Panda: More quotable lines than any other film this year, I think.
- You Don’t Mess With The Zohan: I have no idea who this film was targeted at. Maybe the guys in my high school who loved and quoted Billy Maddison (who have since grown up and moved on)?
- Get Smart: Loved this movie! Actually very sophisticated humor in many places. I honestly expected more slapstick and cheap gags, but it managed to mix humor and action very well.
- Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd Out Of Control: Full of slapstick and cheap gags. Almost painful to watch. Only payoff is when the villain is killed three separate ways.
- Wall-E: The movie seems shorter when no one is talking. That’s not a bad thing, though. I almost cried at the end . . . when he makes the Mac sound.
- Hellboy II: Better than the first, and that’s saying something!
- Tropic Thunder: VERY funny. Right up there with Get Smart.
- Hancock: Much better than I expected! Probably a better superhero movie than most movies about actual, established superheroes!
- Hollywood is finally getting a clue when it comes to what people want to see.
- RedBox, NetFlix, and other similar services have made it so cheap to see a movie that the movie seems better; “Hey, that was totally worth a dollar! That was a frakking deal for just a dollar!”
- RedBox, NetFlix, and other similar services have made it so easy to see these movies whenever we want, and so they have become more accessible to everyone.
Who Won The Battle Of Summer Blockbusters?
I love comic books and I love movies so naturally, I’m a big fan of movies based on comic books. There is no doubt that this summer was enough to make many a geek wet themselves with delight.
Talk to the hand
The summer started off with a giant crimson and gold bang as Iron Man dominated theaters to the tune of $318,219,154. Not too bad for a movie about a dysfunctional millionaire with a really cool suit. Despite the fact that I think that Tony Stark is a giant douche bag in the comics, especially after Marvel’s Civil War, there’s no doubt that Robert Downey Jr. was flat out amazing. Throw in a nice cameo by Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury that set up the upcoming Avengers project, and this provided much geek glee.
Next up we had Speed Racer, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, and Indiana Jones and the Something About Aliens. I didn’t see Speed Racer because I fear having epileptic seizures. I don’t have epilepsy but the trailers were enough to keep me away. Plus, I’m not a big Speed Racer fan. Narnia was good, albeit a bit long and Indy was further proof that George Lucas is going insane. It should be noted though that I will be buying both Narnia and Indy because I am a geek and really enjoyed both movies.
Hulk contemplate the complexities of life.
Once the pre-summer blockbusters were out of the way, we were treated to Edward Norton getting all green and smashy in The Incredible Hulk which, surprisingly, did not suck. It even made a respectable $134,518,390 at the box office. I didn’t expect much from this film given the fact that Ang Lee’s The Hulk made me want to jump off of a bridge. That was a bad movie. The sequel, not so much. I may even end up buying it on DVD. Plus, there was a cameo by Robert Downey Jr. reprising his role as Tony Stark. In case you forgot, it set up the previously mentioned upcoming Avengers project. There is also some alleged footage that was cut at the last minute that showed Captain America. It’s purpose? To set up the upcoming Captain America movie.
Between The Incredible Hulk and The Dark Knight, which let’s face it, is probably one of the best movies in the history of movies, we saw the release of Wanted, Hancock, and Hellboy II: The Golden Army. I didn’t see Hancock but the other two were good movies. To be honest though, at this point in the summer, I was just waiting for Batman to beat the crap out of some bad guys.
"I've never felt this way towards a psychopath before"
July 18 will go down as the day that the best superhero movie of all time opened. Yes, I’m talking about The Dark Knight. I’ve already reviewed this so I won’t do it again here but this movie is two hours and thirty two minutes of pure awesome. When all was said and done, it brought in $521,890,027 making it one of the most successful movies in history. With a re-release planned for Oscar season, who knows how much this movie will end up making.
We were also treated to The X-Files 2: I Want to Believe and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I didn’t see X-Files. Not because I don’t want to, but because I was too busy. I’m sure I’ll eventually watch it though. For my thoughts on The Clone Wars, read my review. Needless to say, with a box office take of only $34,477,361, I don’t think I was the only one mildly disappointed by it.
This all got me to thinking, who came out on top this summer? Obviously DC Comics did well with The Dark Knight but Marvel had two offerings that were really good. OK, one that was really good, one that was awesome. However, Marvel set up future projects and actually did what the comics do in showing that these characters don’t live in a vacuum. With Thor, Captain America, The Avengers, an Iron Man sequel, and two Spiderman sequels all in the works, I think that Marvel is going to prove to be the big winner in this summer’s box office battles. With the cameos and the upcoming movies that they were able to set up, every geek should be jumping for joy. Now if only DC could pull of the same thing with the much rumored Justice League movie…
