MEANWHILE AT THE MOVIES: The Spirit

The Spirit was a fun ass movie, but hey, this is a guy who enjoys All Star Batman and Robin, and DK sequel, etc (and never read Sin City, or 300)...It just seems to be cool to hate on Miller, and The Spirit, and if you're prone to that, this is Miller hater fodder extreme!
Was it a great movie? No, it certainly was a mess, but I still really enjoyed the hell out of it.
The thing is, it's hard to go into a movie and just purely take it in in this age... you go in with so many expectation or reservations from what you've heard and seen online etc. Some times things are so hyped, it's hard to match up to the expectations, other times, like with The Spirit, they're so badmouthed, any quality seems that much better in contrast...

THE GOOD

The visuals, of course, were amazing, and I thought most of the cast were pretty good, Macht as the Spirit was cool, he fit the vibe and character very well, and Sam Jackson owned his Octopus (in his finest form since Pulp Fiction... over the top? Hell yes. Sublime? Hell yess!), the commissioner (that Wonder Years dad), and Jewish police gal (whom I didn’t recognize) were cool too.
The action was pretty cool too, it starts off great, with a slam bang Octopus v Spirit dust up, and finishes strong in the same vein.

THE BAD?

Well, yes, there's a lot, but for me the flat to odd performances were cleary due to Frank's inexperienced hands, and mostly forgivable. I mean, with the whole tone here, it’s acceptable, and maybe even better with some really bad acting… Scarlett Johansson’s Silken Floss was the worst offender though, and not much surprise there... Scar Jo is pretty dry, and her beauty is best served in a certain light, Miller and co missed the mark here and didn't cater her costuming, makeup, whatever to bring that out, which is a huge mistake... to say nothing of her wooden performance (call it prequel syndrome, with George being the other big offender here, taking mostly top notch talent and making them utterly lifeless and dead eyed on screen).
However, as much as the directing of the actors was lacking, or uneven, by far the worst offender was the dreadful score. My god! Look, I'm not a big soundtrack honk, but these big budget franchises with generic or nonexistent scores (Iron Man, X-Men, FF, Hulk, etc) look superb compared to the work in The Spirit. The soundtrack here is downright annoying and distracting! It's almost like the producers knew they were in big trouble with the uneven directing/performances, so they tried to zing things up with the most obnoxious distracting score, that pulls you out of half the scenes. Awful. Just awful. There was one moment, mid movie, the elevator scene, where they had a snippet of jazz, and wow, something jazzy would've really suited this film better throughout.

OVERALL

So, yeah, if you're averse to Miller's over the top, broad stroke, lead heavy storytelling, or out for more Dark Knight/Iron Man modern contemporary ultra realism, this is clearly not for you, but, if like me, you're open minded and out to have a fun time at the movies, and be swept into an amazing new worlds, The Spirit DOESN'T disappoint!
Myself AND my wife really enjoyed it, and it's too bad that the films shortcomings will likely overshadow what's a fun, daring comic book movie that's clearly not for everyone. Come on all you Miller haters, get over yourselves… the man may turn off many, may not be what he once was, but he is a visionary artist, that continues to stay true to his self, and if he wants to try his hand at bringing his trademark style to the screen, as opposed to directors aping it, fine by me, and maybe he'll get it better next time (or maybe it'll be an even bigger mess).

RECOMMENDED

Now, what did all of you think?

MEANWHILE AT THE MOVIES... The Spirit just may kick ass!

Okay, buzz on the Spirit seems to have been shakey... Frank Miller's had the golden touch at the box office, sure, but directing?!? When he'd only previously co-directed on Sin City, helping Robert Rodriguez bring his own comics to life? That made sense, I mean, he was working with someone who understood making movies, but to go from that straight to his own feature???

Well, the jury's still out, but the new second trailer for the Spirit should go a ways towards generating some positive buzz, as it looks... amazing!!

Check it out HERE
Can't wait to unwrap the movie at Christmas, good or bad!!!

MEANWHILE AT THE MOVIES... 300!!!

After waiting for the wife and my schedule to sync up and catch it together, I've finally seen Frank Miller's 300.
What a treat.
What a fabulous work of art put to film.
So good...
Aside from being a visual and cinematic treat, with it’s visceral imagery, and choreographed idealized forms, aside from the stirring sounds and the thundering bellows, 300’s assault isn’t just on the senses. Sure, director Zack Snyder puts Frank Miller’s source material to impeccable use, but it’s hard not to be moved by the story of these fabled 300 Spartan’s and what they stood for.
In today’s world we’re so detached from the things we take for granted, and the privileges bestowed, and even our entertainment can be so mindless, it’s nice to have something that takes you and challenges you to think beyond your world.
As much as 300 is an ultimate balls-out testosterone laden us-versus-them tale, it’s also one of fighting for what you believe in, and standing for what’s right. A testament to those who’ve come before and given countless lives in the name of what we live.
Sure, it’s still just a big Hollywood spectacle, but damn, what a good one!

Loved it!

With Snyder turning in the incredible remake of Dawn of the Dead, and now 300, he's quite a talent to watch, and hopefully he can work his magic on the long languished Hollywood version of THE WATCHMEN!