The Hopeful Watch for Spider-Man's homecoming

       Last May, a writer named Max Landis posted a random Twitter comment asserting that the film rights to Spider-Man had reverted to Marvel Studios. People blew it off. But then rumors picked up again, and by the end of the year, the Sony Pictures hack released confidential data into the public domain. There was confirmation that Spider-Man was in talks to appear in Captain America: Civil War.

       If it’s to be believed that there really will be a “Spidey Summit” this month between Marvel Studios and Sony, then that’s exciting. Aside from Max Landis, there’s one clue that’s cropped up last year in light of this news. Robert Downey, Jr. posted a pictorial collage of scenes in New York City where filming of The Avengers took place. Among them is an interesting find: the scene between Tobey Maguire and Stan Lee in Spider-Man 3. A fan comment points out that the photographs were not from Downey, Jr. but by a photographer named Christopher Moloney, with the link: http://philmfotos.tumblr.com/post/33156411567/the-avengers-2012-image-178-posted-by

       Mr. Moloney snaps unique pictures of famous locations throughout the cities where movies like, When Harry met Sally and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off have been shot. A November 4^th, 2014 Twitter post by Moloney comments that Downey, Jr. is taking credit for his pictures.

Collage on Downey, Jr's Facebook

       I don’t like that most of what I’m saying is conjecture, but I also don’t think that it’s coincidence either. Did someone at Marvel have a hand in the Tobey Maguire/ Avengers album? Newsweek has reported that Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige was pleased with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man series. I’m Team Tobey. Despite the inevitable groans and jeers, I think it would be a coup if Marvel Studios would hire Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi to take up the franchise again for the MCU. Folks love to hate Spider-Man 3, but I appreciate the innovative way they chose to illustrate arrogance in Peter while making a way for him to choose forgiveness at the end of the movie. The dance scenes were an exaggerated analogy of our pretenses, and I suspect that’s the real reason why people were so ticked off. Granted, it didn’t work so well. But for that reason alone, I liked it. I’ve always liked Andrew Garfield, but his portrayal is low on humility. What some might call “street smart” is really code for “bully”, and it doesn’t resonate because Peter isn’t that guy. Marvel could adapt the Raimi films into the MCU, and catch up with Peter as a young man having graduated from college, while working full time for the Daily Bugle. Who doesn’t want to see J.K. Simmons return as Jameson? The only thing that would have to be explained is where Spidey was during the Chitauri invasion of New York. 

       No matter how you view it, Spider-Man coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is an enthusiastic win for everyone. 

Into the Woods

           The opening minutes of Into the Woods brought it all back with a bounce and a tap, and I remembered classroom periods of 4 part harmony in front of the piano, and all the clever ways you can evoke the personality of a character with melody. I’m mildly delighted-- and it’s not my movie, really. My friend chose it. She knows movies.

James Corden and Emily Blunt as The Baker and wife.

            A childless Baker and his wife are visited by their neighbor, the Witch (Meryl Streep) who offers to remove a curse over them if they would seek out certain items for her. The couple venture into the woods to find these items when they meet characters from children’s tales. I note that Chip Zien was cast as The Baker in the 1987 Broadway premiere, and in the 2012 revival at The Public Theatre, he doubled for two different roles. A year before he played The Baker, Zien voiced the resident duck of Marvel Comics in a live action film.

            I found my thrill mostly in the vocal deliveries of the cast— in particular, how Streep can stretch a syllable with a breathy note of arrogance and it’s flawless. James Corden is a humble and very likable Baker. Johnny Depp becomes the wolf stalking Red Riding Hood with the right amount of sleaze in his cadence. He is “creepy” (I’m using my friend’s word). Depp’s scene is the second most memorable, with perfect paws and hat, movement and he closes it out with a bay at the moon. “Agony” is a song by the two princes pining for Cinderella and Rapunzel. It’s full of the hardships of the male mystique and it gets more than an embarrassed chuckle. But it’s the appearance of the giantess that drew pause. The film captures a jowled, menacing face peering through tree branches, from an imperfect angle of view. Her face is obscured by trees; the sky a gloomy light grey. It’s a nightmarish kind of beautiful shot. She’s played by Frances De La Tour who I recognized immediately as the cannibal housewife in the film, The Book of Eli.

            Into the Woods takes the fairy tales of Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Jack & the Beanstalk and unifies them into a cool, cinematic universe. If you’re a hardcore fan of fantasy and musical theater then you’ll love it. The cast is stellar and the story idea is a lot of fun. But I felt it was too long. It’s dark—a mother hits her head on the ground and dies, the witch is not altogether a villain. There is a junior version of this musical that played in the schools sans the second act, and Disney made family-oriented changes with composer Stephen Sondheim’s approval.

            It’s not “puritanical” to point out that the fates of these characters are cynical as if for its own sake—like the infidelity of Cinderella’s prince. It feels like a wink and a snicker. I could only appreciate the thematic gems after reading the observations of critics from past theater productions, but I wasn’t convinced that Sondheim or Disney cared very much about that. At best, each of the characters discovered that their lives would not be as idyllic as they had hoped. It’s common in the theater for the writer to cast off the theme of his play for the audience to figure out, rather than having a bold conviction. It doesn’t work all the time. Anyway, no matter how compelling the life view of a witch is, you don’t put your trust in one. 

Johnny Depp as the Wolf and Lilla Crawford as Red Riding Hood

Sharing in the Secret Life of Walter Mitty

 

     Ben Stiller has a natural talent for playing decent guys who inevitably get pulled under the steamroller. Stiller is great at portraying pain to comic effect. This is not one of those movies.

     Walter Mitty is an average, sweet guy who at some point in his life stopped having fun and played it very, very careful. He has a crush on a co-worker, but he can't work up the nerve. She's on eHarmony. He creates a profile page and lingers hesitantly over the send button. Should he send the online wink to his crush or not? A social misfit around people, he might say, “dirkly”, instead of “directly”. He often escapes into his daydreaming--- even in the middle of a conversation!

     It’s not a sad movie, though. It’s an honest movie. There aren’t enough movies like it. Somewhere along the way, we’re much less honest with ourselves and with each other than I remember. The world is so easily offended. Integrity, faith and yes, following a dream carries with it now a greater social penalty than before.

     Walter Mitty breaks out of his fear and goes out into foreign countries in search of a weathered, legendary photographer who he’s collaborated with at the magazine he works for. The reason is absurd! And yet, Walter has been taught like the rest of us that anything that does not fall in line with a routine and risk free life is absurd. He breaks free, traveling lonely roads and literally thrust into danger. He’s walking by faith.

     When I was in my 20’s, I went to the wedding reception of a woman who made an indelible mark in my life. I had just finished a show and we stood outside of the theater talking. She was the mother of a fellow actor. I remember she gazed into my eyes and poured out overflowing encouragement about how special my talent was. It gave me such pause that I felt disconnected from my legs -- we must’ve talked alone for 30 minutes or longer. When you meet people like that you don’t kick them to curb. Well, later on, I learned she was getting married and it was in New Jersey. I went off late to the Port Authority with the address. I asked questions and I got out there (this is before I ever used the internet). I remember walking alone for blocks through a town I had never been in. Lots of trees, houses, but along the way the comforting presence of a convenience store or the familiarity of a pizza shop. The hot sun was beginning to set. I murmured prayers to God so I wouldn't be stranded. I had no way of knowing I could get a ride back to New York City. When I finally got there, I walked into the reception area a little disheveled and sweaty, holding flowers in my hand. I caught the surprise exclamations of fellow actors in nearby tables. It was nice. Watching Walter Mitty walk through Iceland and the Himalayas for his friend reminded me that I can do that sort of thing. I still look back on those times and marvel. I guess because like a lot of us we always think the worst of what could happen. And that always stops us.

     The scene where Walter's crush sings to him has special meaning for me (I recommend the soundtrack). This is more than just a wonderful story to watch. It's an encouragement for anyone who still daydreams despite the criticism. Walter Mitty joins the list of my average guy cinematic heroes.

Originally posted September 11, 2014

The Last Man on Earth (1964 film)

            I’ve wanted to see this movie since I am Legend came out in 2007. I was captivated by Robert Neville's world. I started looking up the novel of the same name, and previous film adaptations. The Last Man on Earth was a rare find, and I discovered the movie is all over YouTube- much to my delight!

            I finished watching it. If you liked the 1968 original film, Night of the Living Dead(“They’re coming to get you, Barbara!”), then you can ride through this one. It’s very casually-paced and scenic, which could potentially irritate those who are culturally ADD. This movie is not for the bootleg B action movie lover. Vincent Price stars as Robert Morgan (not sure why they changed the name), and much of what you saw in Will Smith’s movie can be recognized here. Had you been in my house, you might’ve thought I was watching a comedy because I'd burst out in laughter at some of the creative choices. I liked this movie. I just wanted to enjoy a good old-fashioned horror flick. But Price’s character is so dang polite. The man is sure to press his pants, starch his collar and wear a sweater, complete with suit jacket before he goes out to scavenge for supplies and kill vampires! Even his gait is a reserved 9th grade teacher kind of stride in this dangerous world. I shrug it off between laughs because you can appreciate the genuine effort to make a great movie. There’s a charm about great dramas done by people working with less, rather than what we often see in cinema today. 

            This version of “vampire” is slow, dull-witted and weak unlike those found in I am Legend, the film. Price can push and knock them over with reasonable effort. Later in the movie is a lengthy flashback to how it all began: the news reports of a rampant disease, the deterioration of his family. The most affecting scene is his infected daughter confined to bed, under a clear net and kept secret from the authorities. She’s gone blind. She calls out to her mother for comfort. Then the introduction of a little black poodle, which Price is more than happy to take in as a companion until he finds out the dog has been infected. “What’s the use?!” he laments, throwing up his hands. These scenes do a great job to indicate a kind of downward spiral, and it served to remind me how much I appreciated Will Smith’s performance. I found I loved I am Legend a great deal more. In that movie, you felt Will Smith ache and you saw him bug out from the agony of his dog’s death. You see how his mind has frayed when he begins to speak in unison with the dialogue of Shrek, in the company of actress Alice Braga and the child she's with. His manner underlines how long he's been alone and how difficult it is to relate well. All of this the result of the intense trauma and pressure of his situation. Will Smith’s performance should’ve at least been nominated for an Oscar, because it was a study in what loneliness can do to a man. That matters to me because the real pandemic of our day is loneliness. It’s hard to readapt this story beyond the ideal vision that was pretty much perfected in I am Legend. Why would you want to?

            Richard Matheson wrote the novel. At the end of the novel, Robert Neville is captured by the vampires and they execute him for his crimes. The vampires- the infected population- are becoming an organized society. The concept to capture here is that while Neville appears to be the hero to all of us, for the vampires he is their own boogieman who terrorizes them. Neville dies thinking, “I am legend.” How Vincent Price meets his end aligns the closest to how the novel ends. Richard Matheson has made significant contributions to the original Twilight Zone series. He recently passed away on June 23rd, 2013.

            There was a second film adaptation to the book called, The Omega Man (1971) starring a youngish Charlton Heston with swag enough to roll with Rosalind Cash, and fight a version of albino mutants out to kill him. I saw it. It was all right.  

            I’m going to see Will Smith in I am Legend again.

Originally posted June 28th, 2013 on Facebook

Deadpool kills the Marvel Universe

Minor Spoilers.

       Probably out of morbid curiosity I revisited the story with Marvel Explained, a YouTube channel that breaks down all things Marvel. http://youtu.be/oywLx8AJ29c. Robert Jefferson is the narrator and producer of these videos; he's done an impressive job! His is a casual narrative of Deadpool kills… using the pages from the book, showing the action and drama.

       Obviously, this story takes place in an alternate reality. Deadpool is a mercenary and a mutant. "The Merc with a mouth" is his handle. In the story, he's remanded to an asylum by Professor Xavier and the X-Men. There he completely freaks when he begins hearing a new, dominant voice in his head. He breaks out and goes on a killing spree of superheroes and villains. He dispatches the likes of Spider-Man (who he shoots in the head), the Fantastic Four, and even the Hulk. The most memorably gruesome scenes are what he does to the X-Men.

       It’s hard not to appreciate writer Cullen Bunn’s work because it’s so compellingly done. He's in his element. The book has been described as a parody, but I think readers (and writers) love to see these beloved Marvel characters get skewered. You can trace that back to battle scenes in the Infinity Gauntlet saga. So, it often feels like people simply want to see the mindless goring of characters. And it's that inherent, blood lust that I think is worth noting, because it sheds light on our faulty morality.

       I’m not condemning this book. But I can’t ignore the real world implications. The “voices” that Deadpool experiences are undeniably demonic. The book is heavy with darkness-- it's tantalizing, but its a little taste of hell too. There are scenes where Xavier and Taskmaster are given a glimpse into Deadpool’s mind, and the sight of it causes them to shut down. I think they both saw pure, unrestrained evil and cold terror. What I believe people see when they first enter the futility of hell. I found myself rooting for Wolverine (often as much a bully and a murderer as Deadpool). It was a let-down that so many of the heroes had a seeming nihilistic- if not apathetic- attitude in confronting Deadpool to defeat him. As if they already knew they faced certain death. Again, the sense of futility is all over this book. It’s like a nightmare set on a sunny, beautiful day.

       When the Punisher tries to take out Deadpool, there’s an interesting insert about how what’s happening may be a holy vengeance from above. In a real world setting, where a man was empowered to wreck destruction, demons would no doubt believe that to be true. Demons are not deceived about their ultimate fate. Neither is the world.

       Written by Cullen Bunn who appropriately has written similar fare like, The Damned, and art by Dalibor Talajic who has illustrated the comic book adaptation for the Dexter TV series. Incidentally, I discovered their credits after I came to my conclusions.

        Ryan Reynolds is set to reprise the role of Deadpool in his own feature film on February 2016.

“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”

– James 2:19