“I couldn't live a week without a private library
- indeed, I'd part with all my furniture and squat and sleep on the floor
before I'd let go of the 1500 or so books I possess.” ― H.P. Lovecraft

Sunday, July 11, 2004

Yet again, it's
Summer Movie Review Time!

It's been a busy few days.

My friend Brian was in for a few days. He, along with myself and my roommates Jay and Nate is a member of the illustrious and oft-mentioned (at least in this blog and several police blotters) Wirt County High class of 1992.

As we're both comic fans, we went to see Spider-Man 2.

Now bear in mind that Brian and I are both huge fans of the comic. HUGE. Knowing this, and knowing that huge fans of a comic book movie will either absolutely love it or violently hate it, temper this statement accordingly:

"SPIDER-MAN 2 KICKS FUCKING ASS!!!"

Ahem...

Now that I've regained my composure, Spider-Man 2 is probably the best comic book movie ever made, and yes, I've seen them all. The only one that is on it's level would be The Crow.

Hell, Brian even liked it and he's the biggest Spider-Man fanboy on the planet.

FANATIC
Noun 1. fanatic - a person motivated by irrational enthusiasm (as for a cause);
Synonyms: fiend
Adj. 1. fanatic - marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or idea; "rabid isolationist"
Synonyms: fanatical, overzealous, rabid

BOY
Noun 1. boy - a male child, from birth to the age of puberty; a lad; hence, a son.

Noun 2. boy - In various countries, a male servant, laborer, or slave of a native or inferior race; also, any man of such a race; - considered derogatory by those so called, and now seldom used.

FANBOY (FAN+BOY)
Noun 1. fan(atic)-boy - A person motivated by irrational enthusiasm for one or more pop-culture phenomenons (Star Trek, Comic Books, etc...) well into the period of adulthood.

Adj. 1. fan(atic)-boy - Marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to one or more pop-culture phenomenons to a point of becoming a slave to them.

Synonyms: fanatical, overzealous, rabid, 'Trekkie'

Those of you that know me know that this is a definition that I can't just toss around willy-nilly. I do admit, I am a rabid fan of several things, but I am not (in this instance, on this topic) a fanboy.

See, what makes Spider-Man 2 a good comic book movie is the fact that it respected it's source material. Resource material that Brian and I know quite well (though not quite as well as the distinguished former-Reverend Mace who did remind be that Doctor Octopus immigrated to America when he was 20 years old).

The difference between 'fan' and 'fanboy' is knowing the differences from the source material (fan) and letting them ruin the movie for you (fanboy).

Brian disliked the first Spider-Man because of it's differences from the source material. Differences as minute as the character Flash Thompson having the wrong color hair.

THAT is a fanboy.

Having said all this, even Brian liked part two.

I guess that's the strongest recomendation I can give it.



Now Catwoman, on the other hand, is going to suck balls.

And here’s why:

They took a character that people know and like, a character that people wanted to see a movie about, and insulted those people.

I'll illustrate my point thusly:

Say I take a character that people know and like, a character from a movie that people know and like, a character that has a built in fanbase of people that genuinely want to see a good movie about this character, and I decide to make my own movie.

For the sake of argument, let's say the character I chose was Lieutenant Dan from Forrest Gump.

I know, it's not exactly the best movie to use as an example here, but I chose Lt. Dan because everyone knows who he is and therefore can understand the point I'm making.

So I want to do a Lt. Dan movie which I will name, originally enough, "Lieutenant. Dan".

But rather than make it about a Vietnam veteran with a fractured soul and no legs, I make him a loincloth-wearing, space-gladiator, cyborg from Mars.

See how some people might be a little upset?

And don't call me a fanboy. I liked most of the recent comic movies and though I noticed the changes, they didn't bother me. Actually, I rather liked most of them, but there's a difference when the movie bears absolutely NO resemblance whatsoever to it's source.

I hope Irony catches up with this jackass director and runs him over with a truck filled with comic books.

Actually, that whole cyborg-gladiator thing’s a pretty sweet idea. I’m gonna start writing a screenplay.

I'll keep you posted.

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