Welcome back to the Excellent Pop Culture blog! Did you miss me?? Okay, probably not. But I'm back anyway. This week I am celebrating the glorious-ness of summer blockbusters with two excellent summer flicks and one amazing preview.
The Dark Knight
From the very first moments of this film you know you're in for a treat. It may be lengthy - which almost kept me from seeing it in the theater - but you don't realize it because the time just flies. Where to begin? How about Christopher Nolan. This guy made indies before he hit the mainstream. (Hello, Memento anyone?) He brings a craft to Batman that hasn't been there since Tim Burton was at the helm in the 1980s. Then, Nolan is smart enough to cast real actors in the lead roles. You're watching an ensemble cast where everyone has at least one Oscar nomination! (Okay, Aaron Eckhart doesn't. And I can't remember if Maggie Gyllenhaal has one yet or not, but she will before too long.) Then he gives them an excellent story. What more could you want? It's high-action and the special effects are awesome but these things never overpower the actual story. Folks, even though Nolan's first Batman film was considered the "origin story," The Dark Knight is the real origin of Batman. The worst part about this film is knowing that Heath Ledger will never again embody the villainy and psychosis of the Joker. He is one bad villain and neither Nolan nor Ledger flinch at the depravity and sociopathic tendencies of the character. All-in-all, this film is worth a trip to the theater. And you might want to splurge for popcorn (but maybe not soda) since you'll be there awhile.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Guillermo del Toro is one of my favorite directors for a reason. I loved the camp of Hellboy and couldn't wait to see what del Toro did for a sequel. Instead of camp, this time he gives viewers camp with a message. Plus, he's got those fantastic special effects creatures that we've come to know and love from him. I don't know what del Toro was smoking in his youth, but it worked. There isn't a lot of need for thought or analysis here. Just go and have a good time watching Ron Perlman have fun. The scene where he and Abe Sapien sing Barry Manillow is priceless and hysterical. After Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth, I can't wait to see what del Toro does to Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit.
Watchmen
No, the film didn't sneak into theaters behind your back. It's not due out until March 2009. But I did see the preview before The Dark Knight. At first, I thought it was just another silly superhero film with an interesting soundtrack. And then Rorschach appeared. At that point I grabbed my sister and said, "Oh my god it's the Watchmen!!!" I think I finally shut my mouth about 10 seconds after the preview was over. I suspect she was thankful for the dark theater so no one could see me completely overreact to a stupid preview. I have been really doubting the ability of anyone, especially the guy who gave us the testosterone-filled 300, to do Alan Moore's greatest graphic novel justice. After this preview, I am no longer quite a nay-sayer. If the film is anything like its preview, it's going to be excellent. It will definitely be more V than League (speaking of which, the third League graphic novel comes out soon). Let's just hope that Zack Snyder gets it right and that the preview is not the best parts spliced together. If you haven't seen the preview, you can watch it at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409459/trailers-screenplay-vi4108058905.
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Top Five Meryl Streep Roles
- Miranda Priestly - "The Devil Wears Prada"
- Susan Orlean - "Adaptation"
- Madeline Ashton - "Death Becomes Her"
- Sophie Zawistowski - "Sophie's Choice"
- Karen Blixen - "Out of Africa"
About Me
- Heather
- The self-proclaimed pop culture diva with apparently too much time on her hands.
7 comments:
hey cuz! glad you're back!
I recently (out of great protest) read Twilight. I'm sure you've read it (and the rest of the saga). Not so crazy about it and I'm still on the fence as to whether or not I'll buy the sequels but I am interested to see how it all ends.
P.S. T LOVED the Dark Knight! I haven't seen it yet.
I have a friend who just finished "Twilight." She also didn't like it (but for different reasons). However, she is enjoying the sequel much better. I'm not sure if that prompts you to read the next book but apparently the second book is better than the first. I am borrowing them and will be reading them eventually.
Tell T she has excellent taste! :-)
I didn't like Twilight either! Maybe I should give the sequel a try, too. Requested The Watchmen from the library.
Any of the new TV shows catching your eye?
I was just the reverse. I really enjoyed Twilight and then did not really like New Moon at all. Eclipse was good though and I'm working through Breaking Dawn right now (which does appear to wrap everything up).
Most people who like New Moon are big Jacob fans. It's much darker than Twilight. The books definitely have more depth and a larger vampire universe as they go along. Twilight is probably the most basic one because it is so focused on just Bella and Edward.
I really like the Twilight books, but the criticism of them is justified. You have to remember they are coming from a writer who is a Mormon and married young. She does not seem to have a very feminist view of the world. Some of the same themes in the Twilight series can be seen in her book The Host (primarily, men protecting women), so I think these views are embedded in her.
While I totally dig Edward and want one of my own :-) there is no doubt that he is very controlling and possessive. And the message that once you meet the perfect guy, you should give up your life--literally--is definitely there. Some readers only see those negative messages in Twilight. I think to enjoy the books, you have to focus more on the "what if you met your true soulmate, what would you do?" angle of it. And there are reasons for Bella's decisions--she is a character that never had a strong family background and so she's susceptible to the strongly bonded Cullen family for that reason.
So I can see why people both love and hate them. But I'll still go see the movie in December!
Erin, I am looking forward to the return of more shows than new ones: Heroes, Pushing Daisies, Reaper. I haven't gotten the fall preview from EW yet so I'm sure there will be a few more shows to try!
The Dark Knight was truly one of the best films I've seen this summer. Heath Ledger had honed his acting abilities long before he became the Joker, and I knew he would not disappoint. I cringed every time the Joker made an appearance, and what saddens me is that I will not see him (as played by Ledger) again. I, for one, will miss seeing Heath Ledger on screen in the future.
Although I was a fan of Pan's Labrynth, I had not seen Hellboy. Heather introduced me, and I'm so happy that she did. I was so happy in fact that I saw Hellboy II the very next day and loved it! Thanks Heather!
I've read the first two installments of the Twilight saga, but I will admit that my interest flagged after the first one. It felt too much like a Harlequin romance for me, and what I thought was supposed to be the climax of the book didn't occur until the last 40 pages or so and then wrapped up in less than 15. While I don't mind men protecting women, I like my heroines to be strong enough to take care of themselves and their men if need be. Edward was far too brooding and possessive, and Bella was just a little too obsessed. It was a disappointment to me, but I already had the sequel....
New Moon is much better (better plot, better written), but since Edward isn't around to brood, Bella is. Her sadness, however, took on a much different meaning--she is a teenager dealing with a major break up. Her heartbreak felt fresh while Edward had many years to work up to his.
So with that, I will move forward and read the subsequent books. New Moon convinced me to continue, but I don't know what to expect. The third book could be just as troubling as the first, and the fourth...who knows?
I'll see Twilight (the film) when it comes to the theatre, but I'm sure I'll complain. I always do when books are made into films.
Well, as a recovering romance novel addict, "Twilight" was nothing for me. :-) But I agree with you about the climax. I don't think Meyer's strength is plotting. She'd rather have her characters have endless conversations.
You're probably right about New Moon being higher quality. I just didn't enjoy it as much because it was so depressing. And I could never get that Bella was interested in Jacob at all--he just seemed so immature. (The character does develop though.)
Eclipse is similar to Twilight in tone, but the main drive is the Edward-or-Jacob dilemma.
Breaking Dawn is extremely different. Without any spoilers, I can say that it is episodic in many ways, has lots of new characters, a medical emergency with lots of bloody detail, and one very strange twist that the Twilight audience continues to be confused about. It's a little like Meyer threw everything she was thinking about writing into the book, and not all of it quite works. But it does wrap up the series fairly well.
On the other topic--I don't even really know WHAT new shows there are this fall except for the new Life on Mars. I'll try that because the original British show was awesome. But yeah--I'm more interested in the shortened shows from last year returning too: Heroes, Dirty Sexy Money, Daisies, and eventually Lost. (Hey--if anyone wants to watch a quality show, check out AMC's Mad Men. One of the best right now.)
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