Year End Review: Part 2

I've spent this last week catching up on the remaining movies of 2008 that I haven't watched yet. And after some serious consideration, I've managed to compile al ist of my favorite films of 2008. This list isn't in any order or whatsoever;


In Bruges

This is the film that seemed under the radar for some time this year. However, this film appeared on many critics top 10 films of 2008, and I can see why. Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell played 2 Dublin hit men that are sent by their boss, played by Ralph Fiennes, to Bruges after a job gone awry. In that very city both of them are given hard options as the consequences of their previous job. What made this movie great is it offers dark humor without losing depths of its story and characters. And it certainly shows that hit men have their own conscience and ethics, which led one of the characters made a bold choice at the end. The cast didn’t disappoint, and the overall movie is a great blend of comedy and thriller.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button



“My name is Benjamin Button, and I was born under unusual circumstances. While, everyone else was agin', I was gettin' younger... all alone”. This was the opening narration on Benjamin Button’s life that sets up the whole film. The film isn’t just about how a man that aged backwards live his life, but it’s about how he embrace his unfortunate condition and changed that into a life worth living.

Benjamin Button is an achievement of superb storytelling. If you think a story of a man aging backward is interesting enough, you should see the whole movie. The story will move you emotionally. It gave us a deep look at the turning points of a man’s life, in this case Benjamin’s life. It filled with exquisite moments that will leave you touched and amazed. Director David Fincher certainly knows how to work his magic. Along with scriptwriter Eric Roth, he managed to shot scene by scene with such beauty without giving up its heart and cleverly added a sense of surrealism that helps develop the film. Watching Benjamin Button made me believe that everything is possible, even for someone as unfortunate as Benjamin Button. By far this has been one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve had after watching a film.


The Dark Knight

I’ve written my full review of this a couple of months ago on this blog, so I guess it needs no more preambles. The main thing about the Dark Knight is that it wasn’t treated as just another superhero films. It treated as if the director wanted to make a great film that will make other films wanted to be it. This is the excerpts of what I’ve already written before;

First, and foremost, The Dark Knight is a crime drama. The kind of crime drama that has the same tone as The Departed, or Heat. Secondly, it's not solely focusing on the hero, but rather to the whole cast. This is the main strength of the movie. The cast that consists of Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman and Michael Caine have done a superb job in their role.
Christopher Nolan has never failed to deliver a great story to audience with with the perfect execution. He dare to question the morality of the actions that is taken by Batman, Dent, and Gordon, something that is often left out by other superhero movie. This question haunts the movie until the very end. An end that ultimately answer the question, as Batman did the most heroic act no other superhero has ever done.

All that being said, The Dark Knight will not only be the best superhero movie ever, but also possibly one of the best film of the decade. Iron Man, and Spiderman 2 may be the definitive superhero film, but The Dark Knight is not just another superhero film, it's a superhero epic. It's the first Oscar worthy superhero film, it's the Godfather of superhero films, it's the Empire Strikes Back of all Batman films.


Iron Man

As the opening of summer movie, this film has got it all. You can find my full review a couple of months ago here on this blog, so feel free to scroll down and search. Or if you don’t have the will or thinking it’s too much effort to scroll down, I’ll jot down the conclusion for you.
Iron Man is the perfect example of a superhero movie which respect its original material, and turned it into something way much cooler. Anyone who doubt Jon Favreau capability to direct this movie can just get their ass kicked (yes, i got my ass kicked). He made all the right decisions in making the movie. He cast the dead perfect Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. Stark is one of the biggest brain in the planet, an alcoholic, and a womanizer at the same time. Downey have had some of those problems in the real life before. That's what made him perfect for the role. He also made Tony Stark character funnier, with his perfect timing of comedic punch lines. Iron Man will satisfy those people who demanded pure summer blockbuster movie, and also the-hard-to-be-pleased fanboys.


Tropic Thunder

These past two or three years finest comedies have been brought by the Apatow gang, however this year’s funniest came from the hands of Ben Stiller and Justin Theroux. This is a bit surprising for me because I don’t think Stiller is capable to star in a film, even directed it, as funny as this. His previous works has been mediocre at best, but he hits a home run with this one. Simply put, Tropic Thunder will make you laugh hard. I mean REAL hard. The cast is just perfect. Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise put in memorable performances. Downey as the Australian actor playing a black dude, and Cruise as the menacing producer. I’d say those two performances deserved a recognition. The fake trailers in the first scenes are a brilliant way to introduce the characters. It started the movie with a bang, and what followed is another set of hilarious scenes in the jungle. However it still has some weaknesses. For instance, Stiller’s performance as an actor is still mediocre, and Jack Black’s character is very hard to be liked. But those weaknesses can be quickly forgotten with the performance of the supporting actors and cameos that gave their best. It’s good to see that a great R rated comedy can come from other source than the usual Apatow gang.


The Wrestler

If last year we have Daniel Day-Lewis getting out the best of him in a blistering and mind blowing performance in There Will be Blood, this year we have Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. Rourke stars as Randy “The Ram”, a wrestler that reached his peak of fame in 80’s. He was the people’s champ, he’s the god among wrestlers, simply put, he was the best. Now almost 20 years after that, he still wrestles, although in a far smaller stage that before, and he’s dealing with his failure outside his wrestling career. He has an estranged daughter that didn’t want to see him, his body is failing him because of his age, and his career isn’t exactly as successful as before.



Darren Aronofsky shows the loneliness of The Ram’s life by making us felt like Ram. The camera often follows Ram from behind and with each silent moment he walked, we can feel Ram’s sense of self failure. His hope of fixing his messed up life lies on the shoulders of his estranged daughter, Stephanie, and a stripper with a heart of gold named Cassidy. As he tried to establish a relationship with these 2 persons, I grew fond of Ram and, later, even empathize him. The final scene where Ram made a speech on the ring before making his comeback is the most powerful scene. He declared his love of wrestling no matter what his situation is at the time. That, my friend, is your Oscar winning scene right there.


Wall-E

Watching Wall-E is like watching a beautiful silent film. Its power is not in its dialogue, cause there’s a few of them, but it’s in the actions and gestures of the little robot. The animation is, dare I say, the best that Pixar has ever done. With little dialogue it’s hard to achieve the level of emotion that this film has. The most important thing about this film is its morality. It gave a brief prediction of what’s gonna happen if the Earth neglects its environment, and at the same time, it provides hope that even a single insignificant robot can make a huge different to the world. The love story between Wall-E and EVE is also very sweet and romantic. This is the film that children and adults will love. There’s no age barrier to watch this movie. Wall-e is really something extraordinar-e.


Slumdog Millionaire

Danny Boyle is the only director that I believe can direct anything given to him. He’s done junky film in Trainspotting, horror film in 28 Weeks Later, Sci-fi/horror in Sunshine, and even a kid film in Millions. So when I came to know that he’s directing a film with all Indian cast, set in India, I have absolutely no doubt that he’s gonna nail it. And he did it big time. Slumdog Millionaire is a story of a teenager named Jamal who reached the final round of Who wants to be a Millionaire? and is accused of cheating.

The investigation on how he knew all the answer led us to swim through the flash back on his very colorful, if not, unfortunate life. Then we learned that Jamal has gone long way to the show because of his love with Pitka, whom he met when he was young. Within these moments lies great obstacle that Jamal must face with his brother, be it running from Muslim haters, being told to work under abusive employer, or posing as a fake tour guide in Taj Mahal, he survived those with a big heart. And this is what I’ve come to admire in the movie. It’s the sense of pity and joy to know the eventful life of Jamal. The star of this movie is no other than Danny Boyle. He managed to show the beauty of India’s slums. He showed the hard life of Indian people. And he sure showed us one hell of a movie.


Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In)

I’ve always been a fan of anything vampire-y. It’s no secret that I loved Buffy and Angel, but Let the Right One In isn’t your ordinary vampire flick. It’s a blend of an unadulterated love story, horror, and drama, and it sure as hell ain’t Twilight. This is a tale of a 12 year old boy who fell in love with a girl vampire that moved next door. The premise may seem overly plain and straight, but I assure you this movie will engage you in an emotional roller coaster which will also test your heart and brain at the same time. The backdrop of snowy Sweden serves as a perfect set up for the grim atmosphere of the film. The thrill and horror is building up from the beginning, with some of the most effective horror scene I’ve ever seen, and reached its climax at the final scene that took place in the swimming pool.



However, what I really loved from this film is there are so many scenes that are open for our own interpretation. I browsed the web for forums and opinions from fellow viewers that made me watched the movie all over again. I haven’t had this much fun interpreting a film since Donnie Darko. Things like Oskar relationship with his father, Hakkan relationship with Eli, Eli’s gender issue, are some of the things that we could draw up our own interpretation. The main strength of the movie is how the director managed to direct scene by with such intensity and getting out the best of the two kids who are the main characters of this movie. Every scene is poetic in its own way. This is a masterpiece of anything that related to vampirism. This is the movie that will get overlooked just because a more hip and cheesy film like Twilight has more budget and more access to audience around the world.

If I had to pick a favorite, I guess I'm gonna have to go with The Wrestler, or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as the best of this year. Mickey Rourke, in my book, is undoubtedly the best actor of the year. Academy awards, or Golden Globes will probably go for Slumdog Millionaire or Benjamin Button as the best picture, while The Dark Knight will probably not getting any love because of its status of superhero film. Sean Penn will be most likely get the best actor award for his portrayal of Harvey Milk, rather than Rourke. As for the director I'd love to see Christopher Nolan, Darren Aronofsky, David Fincher, and Danny Boyle to compete for the best director award. One other nominee will probably go to Gus Van Sant (Milk), or Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon).

That's it, I'm done for the night. Hope this little post will interest you to pick up some of the movies I mentioned above. Let's see if you have the same thought as me regarding those movies.

until then,

be kind rewind

Year End Review: Part 1

We've reached the end of the year, once again, and it's time to look back at what had happened this past 12 months. This first part will look at the honorable mention in the world of (my) music. While the list is dominated by some new names, the old time favorites like Sigur Ros and Death Cab for Cutie has also released some of the finest records of the year. So, here it goes:

Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs

Key tracks: Grapevine Fires, Bixby Canyon Bridge, Cath

Sigur Ros -Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust


Key Tracks: Gobbledigook, Inní mér syngur vitleysingur

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes


Key Tracks: White Winter Hymnal, Ragged Wood, Sun it Rises

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

Key Tracks: For Emma, Skinny Love, Re: Stacks

She & Him - Volume 1

Key Tracks: Why do you let me stay here, Black hole

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Key Tracks: Oxford Comma, A-Punk

MGMT - Oracular Spectacular


Key Tracks: Electric feel, Time to pretend


I'm not much of a music reviewer, so just listen to the key tracks given above to see my point. Please be patient cause I'm still compiling my favorite films of 2008, which will probably be done as soon as I watch some of the remaining films released late this year.

Bonding with Bond

I have to say sorry in advance because I borrowed the title of this post from a segment on rottentomatoes.com. I usually come up with some worthy title, not good but adequate, but I guess the excessive heat in Jakarta kinda messed up my creativity.



James Bond is a character that people identified as the perfect secret agent. He’s handsome, slick, suave, and gets a lot of action. However, for some reason I never liked that character. Pierce Brosnan is the James Bond I grew up watching. His Bond was, in my opinion, too handsome and too clean to be viewed as the tough secret agent. Suffice to say, I never liked the character when he’s playing it, despite all the fuzz that said he’s the best Bond since Connery. GoldenEye was good, but god knows how much I hate World is not Enough, Tomorrow Never Dies, and especially, Die Another Day. All of them were ridiculously campy, over the top and had ludicrous plots. Furthermore, during my early teens there were a lot of Roger Moore’s Bond reruns on my local TV. Roger Moore’s Bond was even worse than Brosnan’s. I don’t know if that’s because of his acting, or just because he was just doing the film in the wrong decade. Sean Connery was probably the best of the lot.

And then came Casino Royale. This is the movie that caught me off guard. I didn’t expect the so-called reboot was going to be that good. Daniel Craig is, hands-down, the kind of Bond that really reflect a tough secret agent. He ain’t pretty, but he knows what he’s doing and he gets the job done with only few things that he’s got (no invisible car, or the ridiculous jetpack). This is the James Bond that Ian Fleming wrote in his stories. Casino Royale serves as a good background story of the first years of Bond’s career as a 00 agent. I liked how they changed the far-fetched toys with gritty realism.

Quantum of Solace is a direct sequel of Casino Royale. It picks up right where Royale ends. While Casino Royale gave a lot of insight of Bond’s character, Quantum of Solace is more of a straight forward action movie. The first action scene with the car in Italy is great. Marc Forster handled this scene surprisingly well. However the rest of the action scenes were caught up in what I called “Bourne style”. Forster uses too much shaky cam and edited it with quick cuts that aren’t friendly for the eyes. The plot continued with Bond following the lead that Vesper left in the last movie. His investigations led to an organization called Quantum. This is an organization that controls many countries with its vast resources. In this movie, one of Quantum’s members named Dominic Greene planned to support the new coup d’etat of Bolivian government to seize control of the country’s water supply. Seem overly simple for a Bond movie? Probably yes. But this makes sense because Quantum is seeking to control territory over countries all over the world, so what’s better than to control one of the most important assets of the country? This way the government will have to bow down to the organization. Great way to bring the world down on your knees, I say.



This movie would be a waste without Daniel Craig. Not only he managed to put on a great performance in this movie, he carries the movie. While the previous Bonds seemed to overcome their mission rather easily, Craig’s Bond was just barely in the game at all. He’s got to get his hands dirty, he bleeds, and he doesn’t mind getting scars here and there in the process. If in the first movie we saw him dealing with his ego, in this movie we see he developed his attitude to be a great 00 agent and moved on from the death of his lover. This is the biggest difference from Craig’s Bond from the other Bond. We can see that there’s a character development in each movie. The Bond at the early of Casino Royale is different from the Bond in at the end of Quantum of Solace, and I mean it in a good way. The last moment of the movie when he drops Vesper’s necklace is the defining moment, signing that he has moved on from the loss his lover.

Now, to the bad part. I’ve mentioned the action parts earlier. I was slightly disappointed by it, but the most disappointing thing is the duration of the movie which is too short. The previous movie has the duration of 2 hour something. That would give sufficient time to dig in deep into the characters. This movie just gave a little over 90 minutes of duration. Not enough time to give development of character. Furthermore most of the duration is filled with non-stop action. As a result the storyline felt a bit rushed to fit in the duration. The presence of Eva Green as Vesper Lynd is sorely missed here. I feel that Vesper’s role in Casino Royale is very important. Not only she’s beautiful, but she’s got the personality that can match that of Bond’s. The main Bond girl (which Bond didn’t sleep or even make out with) is uninteresting. I’m talking not about her looks, but more about her character. This Bond girl is too dark to be a Bond girl, or at least in my opinion. She lacks the personality and chemistry that Vesper Lynd gave in Casino Royale, and ultimately, she's too concern about her own personal vendetta and only provides few charms for the audience.

Given its weaknesses, Quantum of Solace is still a worthy addition to the Bond franchise. I managed to forgive the past Bonds for their portrayal because all of them would be squished by Daniel Craig’s Bond. I really hoped that they would keep this Bond for a long time, because this is the exact James Bond we need for the 21st century.

Astonished

I've been meaning to write this a couple of months ago but for no apparent reason, I happen to abandoned this post. Now, with a new spirit I am resurrecting my earlier post. The proposed post is as follows;


As a comic book geek, last week has left me with quite a mixed feeling. On one hand i am very pleased with the finale of Astonishing X-Men, i thought it was superbly done, as always, and on the other hand i was sad that the creative team of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday has left the title. The title started back in 2004, with a projected monthly issue for the next two years. And here we end up with an extra issue and an extra two years. The series undergone some major delays, which caused them to took the extra two years. However, in my opinion, the delays were always worth it.

Those of you who don't know who Joss Whedon is, he is a producer, writer, director, and show runner, most popularly known as the creator of tv shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin off, Angel. When Whedon was confirmed as the writer of the first issue, i got all excited. EVERYONE was excited by the prospect of having an experienced, and reliable writer. Although, the reliability is to the extent of some time constraints. Whedon's power has always been creating a major long plot that is built up through the subplots that exist within the stories he create. In addition, he is a well known wordsmith. I kinda made that one up, since i have no other words better to explain that kind of skill. I guess what i'm trying to say is that he always managed to construct a witty and smart dialogues. And most importantly, Whedon loves and understands the characters. That's the key ingredient.

His wordsmith and stories are backed up by the ever fantastic artist, John Cassaday. He is known for his work with Warren Ellis on the critically acclaimed Planetary. His ability to convert the story he's been given into a vast imagination of a stunningly beautiful sketch is the foundation of the Astonishing X-Men universe. I believe he is the one man that is perfect for the job.

Moving on to the stories, it consists of 4 story arc that interconnects with each other. What i love about this series, other than that ridiculously beautiful art by Cassaday, is that Whedon really know how to build up the momentum of each issues. Every issue is treated like an episode of a tv show. It usually started with some plot development, adding some action scenes in the middle, and ends up with a cracking cliffhanger. However, there are some problems toward the end of the series, which i think has taken too long to conclude. Still, i was patient enough to wait for each issue.

In terms of the characters, it's pleasing to see how deep Whedon has developed them. Cyclops, and Kitty Pride, in particular, are given so much things to do. While Kitty Pride has been a long-time fan favorite, Cyclops has suffered as one of the unlikable characters, despite his status as the team leader. But after this series, i couldn't see any reason why people should hate him anymore. He's tough, smart, and the team wouldn't function without him. Wolverine, who's often put as the main character in the X-books, is placed as the comic relief of this series. It's a joy reading his rants and his witty one liner.

Astonishing X-men is easily one of the best X-books ever. Along with Ed Brubaker/Sean Phillips' Criminal, this was probably the best book on the shelf. People who don't usually read this kind of comic should start with this title. This title is comic book at its best. I salute the men behind the title, they have done a truly astonishing job.

Palinesque

Notice that lately the news reports has been focusing on the upcoming US presidential election? You should also notice that the focus is shifting away from Barack Obama, or John McCain. Here I give you the woman who stole the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.



I was pretty surprised by McCain's decision to pick her. I thought he would've played it safe and gone with Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani, or even Arnie. But instead he opted for a woman who is practically an outsider. Apparently she's the governor of Alaska. So I thought, okay, this woman probably has the niche, or the glorifying spirit of Hillary Clinton. And she could possibly get the attention of those who are disheartened by Clinton's defeat, and wanted to give another woman a shot.

Boy, oh boy, could I be any more wrong.


Oh don't get me wrong, I love her. I really do. All of the laugh that came out of my mouth in the past 2 weeks mostly came from her prolific speeches and her sarcastic-but-not-so-bright remarks. Moreover, she encouraged the creativity of Saturday Night Live comedians to make one hell of a spoof of her (most notably Tina Fey's skit). I'll stop right here and let her quotes do the job.


"They're our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska." --Sarah Palin, on her foreign policy insights into Russia, ABC News interview, Sept. 11, 2008

"Nucular." --Sarah Palin, mispronouncing the word "nuclear" twice, ABC News interview, Sept. 11, 2008

"Perhaps so." --Sarah Palin, when asked if we may need to go to war with Russia because of the Georgia crisis, ABC News interview, Sept. 11, 2008

"A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made." --Sarah Palin, dismissing global warming as influenced by human activity, Newsmax interview, Aug. 2008

"I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq." --Sarah Palin, interview with Alaska Business Monthly, March 2007

"I'll try to find you some and I'll bring them to you." --Sarah Palin, asked by Katie Couric to cite specific examples of how John McCain has pushed for more regulation in his 26 years in the Senate, CBS interview, Sept. 24, 2008

"I'm the mayor, I can do whatever I want until the courts tell me I can't.'" --Sarah Palin, as quoted by former City Council Member Nick Carney, after he raised objections about the $50,000 she spent renovating the mayor's office without approval of the city council




Still not enough? Oh don't worry, i'm saving the best for last:

"As for that VP talk all the time, I'll tell you, I still can't answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day?" --Sarah Palin, interview with CNBC's "Kudlow & Co", July 2008

Out of the Past

The late 1940’s saw an era that redefines the world of cinema, especially in the US. It’s the golden years of film noir. Granted, that the first film noir wasn’t produced in the US, but when European directors like Fritz Lang, or Michael Curtiz came to the US with their visions and distinct style, it gave birth to numbers of film noirs in the US. Fritz Lang’s M, John Huston’s Maltese Falcon and Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity may be the ones that people always talk about when it comes to film noir, but for me, Out of the Past stands alone as the best of all time.



Robert Mitchum stars as the reluctant hero, Jeff Bailey. A man who are running away from his past and live a quiet small town while hoping to make a better future with his new girlfriend, Ann. His hopeful future is ruined when a man of his past came seeing him, asking him to see his old boss, Whit Sterling. Bailey had done business as private investigator for Sterling before. But when the job involves him with Sterling’s girlfriend, Kathie Moffat, it all went straight to hell. As Bailey told Ann about what happened then with him and Kathie, the truth of his past began to unfold. A couple of years ago Bailey fell in love with Kathie when he was working with Sterling, and they decided to run away together. But their happiness was only temporary when they were discovered by Bailey’s partner, and Kathie had to kill him. They never saw each other again after that.

The plot covers the basic storyline of film noir. It involves the protagonists who fell in love with the wrong woman, and tangled in the labyrinth of deceit and problems. While the plot is seemingly similar to other film noir, Out of the Past came out better because of superior cast, amazing direction, and the sense of moral ambiguity towards the end. Jacques Tourneur’s direction, combined with the superb cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca, created a beautiful pictures that uses extensive shadows and dark cinematography which never loses the grip of the story throughout the film. There was never a dull moment in this one, unlike other film noir (I found Maltese Falcon dull and meandering in some parts). The use of voice over narration also helps to develop the character, without losing its subtlety.

The stellar cast is led by the amazing Robert Mitchum. His deep voice, mannerism, and gleamy eyes were the highlight of the film. It makes you empathize, and feel sorry for him. To me, he is probably the best film noir actor ever, even better that Humphrey Bogart. Kirk Douglas played a great mobster/bad guy, Whit Sterling. But the real talent is on Jane Greer. Portraying the deceitful Kathie Moffat, Greer managed to put a superb performance with layers of personality for her character. I agreed with people who said that she is the ultimate femme fatale. A femme fatale is a woman you loved for all the wrong reasons. She may struck you as this beautiful, loving, and seductive at first, but she never showed her true color. That’s what Greer is portraying. You’ll love Kathie Moffat instantly when you seen her on the screen, just like Bailey did. But everything isn’t what it seems. Her motivation was never truly explained, she just acts on her best interest, and it’s hard to separate the lies from the fact. It’s hard to picture a modern day actress that can portray Moffat better than Jane Greer. Another thing that really grabs me is that all of the character was never presented in black and white. You can’t just point a finger to one man and say, “that’s the bad guy”. All of the characters are in the grey area, and they have their own sets of principles that differs them from each other. That’s why I liked film noir in the first place.

Lastly, there’s the ambiguous ending. It’s the moment when Ann ask Bailey’s deaf best friend. The answer, I’m not gonna spoil it for you, is the truest essence of a masterful story telling. What the answer means is the viewer’s choice to make. I felt this long pause after the end credit is rolled before I could come up with a possible answer and realize what a powerful scene that the ending was. After all, the movie is about a man who wants to escape his past, and a woman who wants to escape her future.

My spider sense is tingling

It's almost 2 am and my spider sense is off the hook. And it has something to do with comic book.

Okay, The Dark Knight turned out to be a HUGE success. It surpasses the expectations, even created a bigger fan base for the character. Now the studio executive geniuses (pardon my sarcasm) at Warner Bros. are attempting to use the same formula from The Dark Knight, and try to apply it to revive the Superman franchise. They said that the “dark, and brooding nature” of The Dark Knight are the key ingredients to successfully resurrect Superman franchise.


Now that’s what I called stupid.


The very nature of Batman IS dark and brooding. Superman? Not so much. The guy is the biggest Boy Scout on the planet. He endorsed justice, the American way. He is the very role model of the perfect human, though he isn’t one technically. Come on, we’ve already seen emo Spidey, and melodramatic Superman in the past 2 years, have people learned nothing from that experience? The problem with Superman is not on its presentation of the character, but on the inability to provide Superman with worthy villains. Lex Luthor is treated like a real estate mogul, rather than an evil genius that wanted the world. Luthor should be the evil version of Tony Stark with the wit and manipulative skill of Ben Linus of Lost, at the very least, and it would be good to throw in Brainiac or General Zod into the mix just so Superman can have real ass to kick.

Here’s a more preferable solution. First they need to reboot the Superman series. Forget the continuity of the whole series until Superman Returns, and start fresh. Try to explore more on Clark Kent’s motivation to become Superman, develop Lex Luthor into a worthy villain, add one extra supervillain, and do a recast the entire characters, although I wouldn’t mind to see Brandon Routh back as Superman. I think he’s the best thing on Superman Returns. The rest of the cast, however, needs to be recast, especially the disaster that is called Kate Bosworth. A capable director is also needed,someone who’s in the same league as Chris Nolan, or Jon Favreau.

Now if those solutions above are somehow read and understood by one of the studio executives, though it would be very much improbable, I may regain my faith in humanity. Or at least what’s left of it.