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Time Goes By So Slow When You're Stuck To Me
*Got some writing down this week. Not a lot but some. Feeling pretty good about it.
*Just wrapped my son's birthday presents, including an iPod Nano. Pretty extravagant for a 7 year old, I realize, but on the other hand, he's pretty good at recognizing and appreciating music, and making up songs of his own, so I'm all for encouraging that. I think for the most part it will stay in his room. Lately he goes to sleep to the sounds of Air's Talkie Walkie cd, while my daughter puts on Kidz Bop Christmas at nights, still.
*Bought and just about finished Awake In The Dark - The Best of Roger Ebert. It's not exactly a "Best Of,"--for that I'd say get his Great Movies books and one of his annual guides, but it is highly worthwhile. I sometimes forget how good Ebert is, and how he's probably influenced me in some ways, especially when he loves mediocre movies like Crash. But the best thing about him is how much he loves the movies and is able to approach each one pretty fresh, especially for a reviewer of 40 years experience, and how he can judge a film on what it's trying to do and not what he would prefer it try to do. This collection has some nice interviews and spotlights on Jimmy Stewart, Robert Mitchum, Ingmar Bergman, Lee Marvin and others, some reminiscences, and a review of what he felt was the best film (at the time) for the past 35 years, give or take. As he explains, there were many occasions where what he now feels was the best film of that year only made #2 on his Best Of list for that year, and this was often because of some point he was trying to make or just the "best" film not holding up as well as the #2 film. The reviews in here, for the most part, are the original ones written for deadlien rather than reappraisals, which is cool, because you get that fresh feeling of discovery, not to mention a couple goofs.
*I've been watching American Idol with probably more interest than ever. I really only got into it all the way last year, as far as trying to watch each episode. Not much to say about that--I just enjoy the show--but one side effect is I've opened my tastes up a bit to be able to appreciate more poppy/R&B stuff I wouldn't normally buy. Like, I just downloaded Amy Winehouse, and a couple weeks before, Corinne Bailey Rae, and both are terrific.
*Bought and viewed a couple of LionsGate's new comics-related dvds: Invincible Iron Man and The Amazing Screw-On Head, as well as Hellboy: Sword of Storms, which I think is from a different studio. We'll start with that one, which my kids and I watched last night. This is quite a successful adaptation of Hellboy without trying to ape Mignola's style at all; it's not particularly anime-influenced, either, despite taking place in Japan. The story involves Hellboy picking up a sword that has to stop two demons representing Thunder and Lightning from bringing their brothers into our world, while Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman try to find and help him. Japanese folk tales/ghost stories inform quite a bit of this and it makes for some cool images, such as snake women weaving between a bamboo forest to get at Hellboy. Ron Perlman, David Hyde Pierce and Selma Blair reprise their movie roles as the voices. Mignola does the dvd cover but that's about it. I haven't looked at the bonus features, though, and I know one is about how the comic was adapted. Hellboy sounds good, and the kids enjoyed it enough to ask for it again tonight, though I suppose with the frequent use of the word "crap," one use of "ass" and of course the use of "Hell" in the name, as well as some disturbing images, about 8 or 9 should be the minimum age recommended.
Iron Man is a surprisingly good Marvel-related movie. I'm not saying it's great, but despite their talent, I have my doubts about the upcoming live action version with Downey, Jr. and Paltrow. Just doesn't seem like a great fit. Anyway, this is an update of Iron Man's origin--this time setting it in China, as Tony puts Rhodey in charge (he's an engineer) of a crew using expanding steel to lift a buried temple in China, which angers those who fear it will resurrect the temple's owner, the long-dead Mandarin. When Tony comes to help, he gets the injury that requires the armor on his chest, and he also becomes a fugitive when he is framed for selling weapons to the radical gang who almost killed him. Tony makes the gray armor and takes on four elemental warriors who are trying to find the four rings of power that Mandarin needs to come back, and it turns out he has been working on armor for some time, so the viewer is treated to several kinds as Tony keeps sneaking back into Stark Tower to get different ones, including a deep-sea one, as one of the rings is located there. But, as you may have guessed, Mandarin IS resurrected, so he ends up being the big boss after Tony defeats the elementals. Also, there's some boardroom intrigue and conflict with his father, Howard Stark. So there's a lot going on and the script is pretty good at tying it all together, like some good little character things like Rhodey being pissed that Tony didn't let him in on the armor development and comparing that to the secrecy of Tony's father, and Tony realizing he's right. The animation is good, though as it often happens, the CGI work such as the elemental warriors always stands out from the rest, in texture as well as smoothness of movement. Bonuses include some scans of various armors from the comics, lots of preparatory character and setting designs, and a lengthy preview of the next straight-to-dvd animated feature, Doctor Strange, from the same creative team, that also looks pretty fun, with Stephen Strange encountering a not-so-cloistered set of mystical warriors fighting a cool beast, including a buff Mordo and not-so-ancient Ancient One (if it's even the same character--seems to be the leader of the group).
Amazing Screw-On Head is a hoot but definitely for older kids. Not so much that it's disturbing--my daughter actually laughed at the skull-faced Emperor Zombie (Hyde Pierce again) due to the way his mouth was animated--but because the wit of it is more suited to more sophisticated sense of humor and the absurd, and because there's not a lot of action in it. If you liked the one-shot comic by Mignola, you'll dig this, because it's basically the comic animated. It seems that in order to keep Mignola's art intact, the animation is very minimal, not that much more active than those old Marvel cartoons of the '60s, and that adds some more kitschy appeal to the project, as does the very committed, excellent voice work of Paul Giamatti as Screw-On Head and Molly Shannon as his former love, now vampire villainess, Patience. Patton Oswalt contributes a voice as well, but I didn't notice who he was. I'll watch this again without the kids. Clearly it's intended to be a pilot due to its intro and how it breaks, and hopefully it gets picked up one of these days.
*Just wrapped my son's birthday presents, including an iPod Nano. Pretty extravagant for a 7 year old, I realize, but on the other hand, he's pretty good at recognizing and appreciating music, and making up songs of his own, so I'm all for encouraging that. I think for the most part it will stay in his room. Lately he goes to sleep to the sounds of Air's Talkie Walkie cd, while my daughter puts on Kidz Bop Christmas at nights, still.
*Bought and just about finished Awake In The Dark - The Best of Roger Ebert. It's not exactly a "Best Of,"--for that I'd say get his Great Movies books and one of his annual guides, but it is highly worthwhile. I sometimes forget how good Ebert is, and how he's probably influenced me in some ways, especially when he loves mediocre movies like Crash. But the best thing about him is how much he loves the movies and is able to approach each one pretty fresh, especially for a reviewer of 40 years experience, and how he can judge a film on what it's trying to do and not what he would prefer it try to do. This collection has some nice interviews and spotlights on Jimmy Stewart, Robert Mitchum, Ingmar Bergman, Lee Marvin and others, some reminiscences, and a review of what he felt was the best film (at the time) for the past 35 years, give or take. As he explains, there were many occasions where what he now feels was the best film of that year only made #2 on his Best Of list for that year, and this was often because of some point he was trying to make or just the "best" film not holding up as well as the #2 film. The reviews in here, for the most part, are the original ones written for deadlien rather than reappraisals, which is cool, because you get that fresh feeling of discovery, not to mention a couple goofs.
*I've been watching American Idol with probably more interest than ever. I really only got into it all the way last year, as far as trying to watch each episode. Not much to say about that--I just enjoy the show--but one side effect is I've opened my tastes up a bit to be able to appreciate more poppy/R&B stuff I wouldn't normally buy. Like, I just downloaded Amy Winehouse, and a couple weeks before, Corinne Bailey Rae, and both are terrific.
*Bought and viewed a couple of LionsGate's new comics-related dvds: Invincible Iron Man and The Amazing Screw-On Head, as well as Hellboy: Sword of Storms, which I think is from a different studio. We'll start with that one, which my kids and I watched last night. This is quite a successful adaptation of Hellboy without trying to ape Mignola's style at all; it's not particularly anime-influenced, either, despite taking place in Japan. The story involves Hellboy picking up a sword that has to stop two demons representing Thunder and Lightning from bringing their brothers into our world, while Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman try to find and help him. Japanese folk tales/ghost stories inform quite a bit of this and it makes for some cool images, such as snake women weaving between a bamboo forest to get at Hellboy. Ron Perlman, David Hyde Pierce and Selma Blair reprise their movie roles as the voices. Mignola does the dvd cover but that's about it. I haven't looked at the bonus features, though, and I know one is about how the comic was adapted. Hellboy sounds good, and the kids enjoyed it enough to ask for it again tonight, though I suppose with the frequent use of the word "crap," one use of "ass" and of course the use of "Hell" in the name, as well as some disturbing images, about 8 or 9 should be the minimum age recommended.
Iron Man is a surprisingly good Marvel-related movie. I'm not saying it's great, but despite their talent, I have my doubts about the upcoming live action version with Downey, Jr. and Paltrow. Just doesn't seem like a great fit. Anyway, this is an update of Iron Man's origin--this time setting it in China, as Tony puts Rhodey in charge (he's an engineer) of a crew using expanding steel to lift a buried temple in China, which angers those who fear it will resurrect the temple's owner, the long-dead Mandarin. When Tony comes to help, he gets the injury that requires the armor on his chest, and he also becomes a fugitive when he is framed for selling weapons to the radical gang who almost killed him. Tony makes the gray armor and takes on four elemental warriors who are trying to find the four rings of power that Mandarin needs to come back, and it turns out he has been working on armor for some time, so the viewer is treated to several kinds as Tony keeps sneaking back into Stark Tower to get different ones, including a deep-sea one, as one of the rings is located there. But, as you may have guessed, Mandarin IS resurrected, so he ends up being the big boss after Tony defeats the elementals. Also, there's some boardroom intrigue and conflict with his father, Howard Stark. So there's a lot going on and the script is pretty good at tying it all together, like some good little character things like Rhodey being pissed that Tony didn't let him in on the armor development and comparing that to the secrecy of Tony's father, and Tony realizing he's right. The animation is good, though as it often happens, the CGI work such as the elemental warriors always stands out from the rest, in texture as well as smoothness of movement. Bonuses include some scans of various armors from the comics, lots of preparatory character and setting designs, and a lengthy preview of the next straight-to-dvd animated feature, Doctor Strange, from the same creative team, that also looks pretty fun, with Stephen Strange encountering a not-so-cloistered set of mystical warriors fighting a cool beast, including a buff Mordo and not-so-ancient Ancient One (if it's even the same character--seems to be the leader of the group).
Amazing Screw-On Head is a hoot but definitely for older kids. Not so much that it's disturbing--my daughter actually laughed at the skull-faced Emperor Zombie (Hyde Pierce again) due to the way his mouth was animated--but because the wit of it is more suited to more sophisticated sense of humor and the absurd, and because there's not a lot of action in it. If you liked the one-shot comic by Mignola, you'll dig this, because it's basically the comic animated. It seems that in order to keep Mignola's art intact, the animation is very minimal, not that much more active than those old Marvel cartoons of the '60s, and that adds some more kitschy appeal to the project, as does the very committed, excellent voice work of Paul Giamatti as Screw-On Head and Molly Shannon as his former love, now vampire villainess, Patience. Patton Oswalt contributes a voice as well, but I didn't notice who he was. I'll watch this again without the kids. Clearly it's intended to be a pilot due to its intro and how it breaks, and hopefully it gets picked up one of these days.
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