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.

Politic Has Never Been This Great

I don't usually make a political comment, not that i don't have any opinion or anything, but I just don't think what i say will make any difference. And of course, politic isn't really my cup of tea. However, the recent US democratic national convention has made politic a bit more interesting subject. Obama's speech on the convention is pretty much encouraging, and sounded very convincing. I'm not gonna discuss his agenda, but a couple of things that he said actually hits me. If I were an American, I'd be very proud of him.This is what he said:

“It is that promise that has always set this country apart – that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.

“It is why I stand here tonight. Because for two hundred and thirty two years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women – students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors -- found the courage to keep it alive.

“We meet at one of those defining moments – a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more."

“America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.”

“This moment – this election – is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight. On November 4th, we must stand up and say: “Eight is enough.”

Pretty neat, isn't it? Another thought that i had is that younger people will tend to put their vote on Democrats. The thing about Democrats is they usually oppose war, violence, promising peace, and support diplomacy rather than go strength to strength with their enemies. These are the kind of things that great presidents of the states like Roosevelt or Kennedy often stressed on their speech. I agree on most of that but sometimes I think Republicans are more willing to go the distance to deal with certain situations. Their actions, in my point of view, are more extreme in some ways, but all of it came from their love of their own country. They'd done stuff that Democrats don't have the guts to do. However, their actions are often unjustifiable, and deeply hurting a lot of people for their own good. I've been having this thought for a while now, that kinda left me pondering. And today, Obama kinda answer my doubt;

“We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don’t tell me that Democrats won’t defend this country. Don’t tell me that Democrats won’t keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans -- Democrats and Republicans – have built, and we are to restore that legacy.


“As Commander-in-Chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm’s way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.

“I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing so that America is once more the last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.”

My doubts and questions has been answered. Is he really gonna do what he said he's gonna do? Only time will tell. May them (Americans) chose what best for them, and they should also keep in mind that their choice will influence the shape of this world.

Now, the fun part. I just found out that the Democratic Convention is also supported by the performance of a couple of artist, and musician that i really, really like. They are Ben Gibbard, of Death Cab for Cutie, Zooey Deschanel, of She & Him, and Jenny Lewis, of Rilo Kiley. It's not all, Jonathan Rice, Nada Surf, and Cold War Kids also highlighted the convention. Holy shit, this is bigger than Big Day Out! I've been dreaming to watch them perform live, and now they're actually performing TOGETHER on the SAME STAGE? Be still my heart. All it takes is one hell of a presidential candidate with inspiring words. Who thought politics can be this fun?

Weekly Recap #2

Okay, i haven't done this in quite a while, but i think it's worth writing. It's the weekly recap thingy that i did back a couple of months ago. I just assumed that somebody really did read what i wrote in this blog. Anyhow, this is the latest scoop on my week:

Movies
I saw just one film on the cinema this week, which is Wanted. I have to say that it's pretty disappointing. They changed the story too much from the comic book. I'm not saying it's a bad adaptation, but it lacks the thrills and excitement of the comic book. I think the story is there, but the execution isn't right. The bullet bending, the train action scene, are wasted. It's full of slow motion, exaggerated action scenes that are out of place. I guess it's better if Bekmambetov uses the conventional hard boiled action like in the first Die Hard movie. That said, i still recommend you to watch this film, solely because of Angelina Jolie's perfect ass.

On the DVD, i'm still going with the Woody Allen marathon that i started a couple of weeks ago. The last of his film that i saw was Play it Again, Sam. I am really surprised with this movie. I thought his best work was in Annie Hall, or Manhattan, but Play it again, Sam actually has more laughs than the movie i mentioned before. I mean, that movie is basically Allen's homage to Casablanca and Humphrey Bogart, but he wrote it perfectly that it fits his comedic style and richly filled one liner that will make you laugh so hard, it hurts. Of course, you have to watch Casablanca first to get the majority of the jokes. Now, Woody Allen has emerged as one of my favorite director, despite some of his weak films during the 90's.

Music
I haven't heard anything new, just some old stuff from Wilco that was released last year, titled Sky Blue Sky. It's a pretty solid album. Highly recommended for those who like easy listening, yet deep and soulful music, with the touch of folksy tune. Meanwhile, i am still in awe after watching Sigur Ros performed live at the Festival Hall last week. It was just beautiful. There's just no right word to describe their music, let alone their live performance. It's safe to say that their live performance is one of the better of all the bands that i've seen performed live.

TV
One show that caught my eye this week is Pushing Daisies. I rarely see a love story on tv medium that i liked. But this one is an exception. This cute little show has its own unique presentation by blending comedy and drama. It mostly attracts me because of the quirky characters, great lines, and adorable chemistry of its cast. The other thing that i liked is Anna Friel. She really got Zooey Deschanel vibe in this show. I found her character to be bearing a resemblance with Audrey Tautou's Amelie. This is definitely a worth watching tv show. At least, this can keep me accompanied while i wait for the fifth season of Lost.

Highlight of the Week
The one thing that would be the highlight of this week is the trailer of Watchmen. Being skeptical at first, the footage and trailers has proven me wrong. The set, costume, even the environment that is captured in the film is like a panel of the comic book. I wonder if the final film will be as good as it looks in the trailer.

It's no secret many people do not believe that Watchmen is filmable, like i said in previous post, including me. This is probably the most complex graphic novel ever written. It deals with complex issues, layers and layers of story, loads of philosophy, and to think that all of it can be packed into two hour long feature is just seem very improbable. This is the book that changed the face of comic industry forever. This is where comic book was acknowledged not only as kid's read, but also as a work of classic literature.

Back to the trailer, i think it really capture the dark world of Watchmen. The characters look very much alive, as well as the set design and the overall feel of the world within the film. And the most interesting part is the soundtrack for the trailer. It's the other version of Smashing Pumpkins' The End is the Beginning is the End, which coincidentally was the soundtrack of the worst superhero movie of all time, Batman and Robin. It's very gloomy, and somewhat managed to set the tone for the trailer. So, here ya go, here's the link to that trailer; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3orQKBxiEg

I'm gonna leave you with a word of advice, READ.THE.GODDAMN.BOOK. It's worth it, believe me. I, myself, had just finished reading it for the sixth or seventh time. And i still got something new every time i read it.

Office Poem

I love the Office very much. I started out watching the US version, and i just recently watched the UK version. Both are brilliant, with their own unique style. And this is the one of the funniest moment of The Office UK, where David Brent, the socially inept office manager, read his own poem to his secretary, Dawn;

'EXCALIBUR' by David Brent I froze your tears and made a dagger, and stabbed it in my cock forever. It stays there like Excalibur, Are you my Arthur? Say you are. Take this cool dark steeled blade, Steal it, sheath it, in your lake. I’d drown with you to be together. Must you breathe? Cos I need Heaven I literally rolling on the floor laughing after he read his poem with such seriousness and intensity. Only one thing that comes to my mind after that, Ricky Gervais is a genius. Bloody genius.

The Dark Knight Returns

I must warn you before continue reading, you may find the following review to be exaggerated, or hyperbolic, but believe it or not, it's the only way possible to describe how great this movie really is. The film itself carries a heavy burden due to the magnificent viral marketing throughout the year, and the success of other superhero movies like Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and Hellboy II. So, does it live up to the expectations? Hell yeah. I must warn you, though, this isn't your ordinary comic book movie. It sure doesn't feel like it. The Dark Knight is the anti-thesis of Iron Man, or Spiderman.

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. Bale is undeniably the best Batman of all. He manage to capture the billionaire playboy in Bruce Wayne and added some scary intimidation vibe for his alter ego, Batman. The always reliable Gary Oldman shows his versatility as he resumes his role as Lt. James Gordon. Gordon has been a big part in Batman's tale of saving his city, a fact that has been ignored on the early 4 Batman films. It's really enjoyable to see Gordon got the proper amount of screen time to make us care about his character. Aaron Eckhart is on top of his game with his scarily moving character, Harvey Dent/Two face. He owns the character. I think his brilliant performance is only overshadowed by the terrific Heath Ledger. And i am so relieved to get Maggie Gyllenhaal instead of Katie Holmes-Cruise (is that what they really call her these days?). Gyllenhaal is easily twice the actress Katie Holmes will ever be.

Of course, the most talked subject in the movie is Heath Ledger's Joker. You may see Jack Nicholson's Joker back in the first movie and thought that he was the perfect Joker. To me, Nicholson's Joker isn't the real Joker that has been written for so many years in the comic book. His Joker is more of a failed comedian rather than a mentally crippled mass murderer with no code or whatsoever. Ledger cleverly modeled his Joker as the combination of Alex from A Clockwork Orange, and John Doe from Se7en. That is the first time i'm seeing the character alive. He manipulates, plans, and never once hesitate to kill everyone in front of him. This is the definitive Joker, and Ledger delivered the character perfectly. His presence will be sorely missed. If Nicholson managed to get an Oscar nomination when he played Joker in the first film, Ledger should win it.

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. In terms of action scenes, it's a relieve that the action scenes uses as little CGI as possible. I'm getting tired of action films that relied heavily on CGI (I'm talking to you, Michael Bay!). As a result, the action scenes looks very realistic, believable and superbly crafted.

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. And, in my own case, this is easily the best movie of 2008 so far.


*this is attempt number 42 in reviewing this film. I had a hard time putting the words altogether. But hey, like the Joker said, "Why so serious?" right?

Random mumbo-jumbo

Semester break is coming to an end and, once again, i found myself pondering on what i achieved during the so-called-relaxing-break. My pre-break plan was to finish Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay, fix my TV's antenna, fix ,or try to call someone to fix my leaking washing machine, and ultimately, finish this story pitch that i've had for years. I thought three weeks are enough to complete those tasks. Oh, how very naive of me.

Three weeks later, and I've done none of those tasks. I abandon Kavalier and Clay, only to pick up Jack Kerouac's On The Road (which i still read to this very second). My laptop failed me, which also means the story that i've written vanishes magically, and i've forgotten all about the household repairing that i was supposed to do. The inability to perform the simplest of task has been a problem of mine for quite some time. Although i always refused to admit it. I'd like to think the universe has a unique way to conspire against anything that i want to do. In other word, i blame the universe.

However, the three week hibernation has also filled me with some thoughts, and ideas. Well, just for fun, i'm gonna say it all out loud;

i have a twisted state of mind, which is mainly caused by the constant day dreaming, the over exposure of various comic books, films, and numerous tv series.
Arrested Development is so darn funny, it actually surpasses The Office at some point.
The world would be a better place if there's Amelie Poulain on the corner of every street.
I wanna grow old like Woody Allen
I think time travel is possible, whether it's via wormhole, cosmic strings, or a simple faster than light travel.
I think vampires are cool.
I believe we do not live alone in the universe.
but then again,
I am neither fair, nor balanced.
believe what you want to believe.

Enough mumbling for today. Please do not take everything that i said seriously. I'm gonna leave you the funniest quote i've heard for quite sometime, courtesy of Dr. Tobias Funke.

"You're forgetting, Lindsay, that as a psychiatrist, I was a professional twice over - an analyst and a therapist. The world's first 'Analrapist'"

It's Happening, Shyamalan.

Critics everywhere are bashing M.Night Shyamalan's new film, The Happening. Shyamalan, who started to gain popularity after his successful The Sixth Sense, and Unbreakable, are the target of these so-called critics. He has received some negative reviews ever since his film back in 2004, The Village. Personally, i think he is a talented director. I loved Signs, and i like The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and even The Village. People may bashed him for the latter, but i still like it. I like how he built the suspense and i don't have a problem with the ending. As for Lady in The Water, i think it was a decent story with poor execution. So, how about The Happening?

The Happening is a film about how north east America got hit by a mysterious environmental event that causes everyone who is infected to kill themselves. The story itself focuses on a Philadelphia high school teacher, Elliott Moore, his wife, Alma, and his friend's daughter, Jess who tried to run away from this event. The movie has similar vibe of Signs, only this one falls below the quality of its predecessor. The early first scenes were very effective to introduce the plot. It's disturbing, and scary at the same time. Then we were introduced to the main character, Elliot (played by Mark Wahlberg), and we were showed that he is having trouble with his marriage.

This is where it went wrong for Shyamalan. Rather than focus on the background of the internal problem of Elliott and his wife, he added many unnecessary subplots. John Leguizamo's subplot was completely wasted. He went off in the middle of the movie to find his wife, and ends up dead in the next minute. Such a waste of a particularly good actor. Mrs. Jones character that is introduced late in the film is creepy, but she's not really connected to the main story. Also, the marriage problem between Elliott and Alma is not explored enough to develop their characters. The dialogue between them did not help to further explain the plot or resolve their problems. And ultimately, the ending is weak. The film should have ended with Elliott and Alma separated in Mrs. Jones's house. I think it would be effective for the movie to end at the moment when both character has found what has been lost between them. In this case, their marriage.

Shyamalan's script is undercooked. The first half was okay, but he either did not know how to end his story, or he was just lazy to write a meaningful second half. Mark Wahlberg is seriously miscast in this. He is an actor capable of doing a bad ass character like his character in The Departed. But as a high school teacher with little dose of bad ass-ness? I don't think so. Zooey Deschanel, my personal favorite actress, still showed her undeniable charm, but again, the lack of good direction made her performance falls flat and stilted.

All that being said, i still think the movie is entertaining. It is not, by any means, a good movie. But it had it moments and certainly doesn't deserve all the bashing it received. For me, the movie has a subtle way of showing how man will react in the manner of surviving. The story itself diverted into a goofy thriller that still managed to deliver suspense and twitching scares, particularly through the use of landscape as the medium for the suspense. The characters were given time to look within themselves and reflect upon their actions. The pace is also well maintained, and doesn't fall into a typical cliche disaster movie such as The Day After Tomorrow, or Armageddon. James Newton Howard's score was as good as ever. It reminds me of the late Bernard Herrmann's score in a Hitchcock film.

Shyamalan has been performing below par for a couple of years now. What was thought to be the promising director that could be the next Alfred Hitchcock has gone. Let's just hope that he's not gone for good. He got to find his niche, and regain the reputation that he once has. I still have faith in this guy, I know a lot of people still have. Now, it's up to him to repay all that faith.