Ghost World succeeds in bringing the essence of its source material to the screen, as we meet Daniel Clowes’ comic book characters, Enid Coleslaw and Rebecca Doppelmeyer – two teenage social outcasts, aimlessly facing life after High School graduation.
Directed by Terry Zwigoff (Bad Santa), this comedy-drama depicts a tumultuous summer for Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), as they find themselves at a crossroads. Unable to find any real direction in their own lives, these two best friends distract themselves by focusing their energies on Seymour (Steve Buscemi) – a lonely man whose personal ad searching for a woman he met captures their attention. Over the summer, in which they engage in cruel manipulations and taunting, the two young women find their respective paths diverging, despite their attempts to cling to their manufactured ‘norm.’ As the consequences of their actions unfold, lives begin to unravel and their situations are irrevocably changed.
Ghost World is a film that has found its audience over time. Crafted with the highest quality – with many award nominations and wins to prove it – it is a deceptive movie, seemingly one thing at first glance while at second glance, another. Initially, Enid and Rebecca are intensely unlikeable characters – wandering aimlessly, judging everyone around them, and manipulating people and situations to their own ends.
However, this is, in fact, something else entirely – something far more subtle and insidious. Ghost World is the story of two young women pushing against the social conventions that have simultaneously rejected and constrained them. They are in limbo – a social ghostly plane – where they are neither included, nor afforded the opportunity to leave. This deeper duality resonates loudly for many social groups – particularly teenagers and women – making the film and the source material, important works of art.
Iron Man wasn’t exactly a superhero A-lister before his metal boots were filled by Robert Downey Jr., but after 2008 there was no doubt that this was arguably the best synthesis of actor and hero in the history of comic book movies. In making a sequel, if the high expectations coming off a strong first entry weren’t bad enough, there was the growing the pressure of tying everything into The Avengers and paying lip-service to the burgeoning Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, combined with a couple of behind-the-scenes personnel hiccups, it’s a wonder that director Jon Favreau was able to hold it all together the way he did. And while Iron Man 2 may be the least successful of the Iron Man films, it’s by no means a mediocre entry in the genre.
Naturally, the best part of the film is Downey’s portrayal of billionaire-genius-playboy-philanthopist Tony Stark, now firmly ensconced in his dual role as Iron Man, and resting on his laurels as a superhero while dealing with his own mortality as a result of the side effects of using the tech that saved his life and allows him to be Iron Man. Tony’s growing recklessness threatens his status as world protector, and just in time for Ivan Venko (Mickey Rourke), the disgruntled son of Tony’s father’s former partner, to come looking for revenge. Rourke doesn’t have much of a role to play other than mumbling about revenge and butchers in a thick Russian-esque drawl, but damned if he isn’t great, as is Sam Rockwell as Stark’s rival Justin Hammer, who has just a little bit of Iron Man envy.
Iron Man 2 is also fun for the fan service. Amongst the other newcomers is Stark’s fellow-future Avenger Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson, subbing for the originally cast, but too busy to serve Emily Blunt), while Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle stepping in for Terrence Howard) gets a promotion from BFF to sidekick when he puts on the armour of War Machine. There’s a lot of talk about “The Avengers Initiative” and some stuff going on in the “southwest district” (that’s code for Thor foreshadowing), and even though all that weighs down the film’s midsection, fans were still hanging on every morsel and detail. Iron Man 2 didn’t push the character in strange new directions, but it helped sell the idea that a coherent movie universe and tying one film to the next was indeed possible.
After more than ten years languishing in development hell, through various re-writes and many directorial changes, the world finally met Hancock – the belligerent and alcoholic amnesiac with superpowers. Based on an original screenplay by Vincent Ngo, the final script was shaped by Vince Gilligan (The X Files, Breaking Bad), eschewing all traditional superhero narrative structures and presenting a story of epic scale in an intimate fashion.
Hancock (Will Smith) is a disaster in human form. His clumsy, drunken actions cost his city millions of dollars in damages, and he is regarded with disdain by the general public. When he crosses paths with Public Relations man Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) – saving his life on a railroad crossing – Ray sets about rehabilitating Hancock’s public image. Unbeknownst to Ray, his connection to Hancock goes much deeper and further than simply owing him his life.
The film is the first foray into big-budget visual effects for director Peter Berg (Very Bad Things, The Kingdom) and, bolstered by a team of producers including Akiva Goldsman, Michael Mann, and Will Smith, it became one of the most successful of 2008, grossing over $624 million at the box office. This is notable because Hancock does not fit the standard superhero movie template. Firstly, it is not based on a comic book or graphic novel – Hancock, as a movie, is an original idea specifically conceived to subvert the superhero movie genre. Secondly, Hancock is the only superhero movie to feature a non-white lead character, and thirdly, the story features a fully-formed, strong female character (Charlize Theron) who single-handedly takes the film, and turns it on its head.
Succeeding on every level – from script to performance to overall direction – Hancock dispenses with the linear origin story trope and instead allows the audience to discover the characters and their histories in a natural and organic way. A refreshing experience, to say the least.
[h2]32) Spider-Man[/h2]
Although not the best of Sam Raimi’s trilogy, the first Spider-Man is still one of the best superhero films of all time simply because it hits so many of the right notes. Peter Parker’s rise from lonely nerd to New York City’s savior is common knowledge to generations of fans, and Raimi transferred it to the screen with care and style. It also helps that Tobey Maguire was the right amount of nerdy and conflicted hero, making him a great candidate for the role.
Spider-Man was one of the first superhero movies to gain mainstream acclaim and success, setting the stage for Marvel to start dominating the market with quality titles. It absolutely nailed the death of Uncle Ben, Peter’s need for revenge and the growth of Spider-Man from a vigilante to a heroic symbol of the people, fighting for good in a city filled with evil and ungratefulness. Despite the slew of Amazing Spider-Man titles slated to hit theaters in the next decade, the original will always remain a classic.
Batman has a long track record of cinema gold, but many of his quality stories have been told through animation, and a majority of them are just as good as (if not better than) their live action counterparts. Of these cartoons, one of the most recent and, frankly, one of the best is Batman: Year One, a story chronicling Batman’s first year of stalking the streets of Gotham alongside Commissioner Gordon’s rise through the ranks of Gotham PD.
Based on Frank Miller’s excellent comics, the film tells a story full of violence, mistakes and life-changing decisions as Bruce Wayne’s and Jim Gordon’s lives cross paths for the first time, setting the stage for the relationship that later helps to define both men. It’s an old tale redone with style and heart, and one of the best animated Batman stories to date. The voice acting from the likes of Bryan Cranston is top notch and the animation itself is beautiful.
If you’ve never seen the Bat in cartoon form, Year One is the place to start.
