On The Precipice of Mediocrity, Teetering
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| I Am John's Stomach Pains. On The Precipice of Mediocrity, Teetering |
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Tuesday, June 24, 2003 HULK SMASH PUNY BLOG!!!! So I was prepared to tell y'all about me experience with the Hulk yesterday, but thank to my putrid disgust over VH1, I had to delay a day. Anyway, let me just say that Unbreakable was nearly unseated this weekend in my mind as the best comic book film by Ang Lee's masterpiece, and it would have been if not for the let down of ending. But I'll get to that. First off, my experience with the Hulk is fairly new, as I've only collected the latest Bruce Jones run of the book which has been coming out for about 2 years now. The character never really interested me, mostly because I had the preconceived notions fomr the old TV show about a mindless beast destroying everything in it's path. Stupid me, I forgot that the Incredible Hulk was a Marvel character, and was much more than that. For some reason I approached it as a DC comic. For those not in the know, the difference between the two companies is their approach to dual identities of their character. In the DC world, Superman is the face, and Clark Kent is the mask; Batman is the true essence of the character, Bruce Wayne is who he hides behind. Marvel flips that approach: Peter Parker is Spiderman, not the other way around. Ang Lee knows this, and creates a story that is all about Bruce Banner, and delves into how everything that the Hulk is is just an extension of one fucked up little kid. The movie has an incredibly slow pace, but at no point was I bored. Lee makes you feel for these characters before the main plot even begins, making the pain that the actors emote throughout the entire film that much more real. Speaking of which, not only is Jennifer Connelly the most beautiful woman in Hollywood, she is one of the best facial actresses as well. She has alot to do in this movie just by reacting, and her eyes are a window to all her internal pain growing up. Suffice to say, this is a movie about how the sins of the father resonate in their children. Sam Elliot brings Thunderbolt Ross to life as probably the best comic book supporting character straight outta the books... even better than J. Jonah Jameson from Spiderman. Eric Bana and Nick Nolte really play off each other well, and Nolte is so over the top with his mad scientist ravings, I would not be surprised to watch E! News Daily one night with a special report saying that the LAPD had found a dozen or so bodies in the basement of Nolte's home. Bana gives a haunted performance... many reviewers are calling it wooden, but those people are idiots. Bruce Banner must be played this way... his alter ego is rage personified, so it makes sense that Bruce would approach nearly every situation as a quiet, meek man in the background. I doubt it was a coincidence that the DVD release of one of my favorite movies of the past year, Punch-Drunk Love, occured in the same week Hulk was released. The final star of the flick (aside from Josh Lucas' over-the-top - but perfectly done - Talbot) is Hulk himself. I won't go into how impressive the special effects are, either you can suspend disbelief for 25 minutes of your life, or you can't, that's not up to me. But the fact is, he comes alive. Up close, he's a tragic figure, running purely on rage, confusion, and a host of other emotions. From afar he moves like a lumbering oaf, tripping through the air - which is how it's supposed to be! I've read reviews that his movement while jumping is unbeleivable... personally, it's the most true to life I've ever seen. Imagine being able to jump for three miles on end... you're not gonna be doing it smooth, you'll be flailing around trying to direct yourself. Anyway, while the acting was great and I really liked the Hulk animation, the best part of the flick, and the movie that makes it a must see for all comic book fans, is Ang Lee's directing. The close ups, the wide angle shots, and the best use of split screens I've ever seen in a movie theater. But really, it's the scene transitions Ang uses. From pulling out in a flash, to using a helicopter's blades to slowly slice into a new scene, and to actually freezing an explosion into a comic book panel, Ang Lee is a directing god. Don't believe your critics, man... you're Ang Lee, and we'll definately like you when you're Ang Lee. Finally, the reason I have not fallen in absolute love with the movie is that the ending was a mess. I think I understand almost everything that's going on, and in many cases it's straight out of a comic book, but the problem centers around that the screen is just too dark to get an understanding of the action. Much like a comic, we have to be listening to the dialogue and the grunts to understnad what's going on on-screen, and with a movie, even a comic book movie, that's not the right way to go. posted by Holz | 10:25 AM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) 0 Comments: |
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"Let a man get away with fuckin' you once, you stay bent over so's he can fuck you again whenever he damn well pleases. An' if one man can do it? Another will too. An' another, an' another still. So's being fucked, that's yer life. 'Til who you were, you ain't. 'Cause all you are is an asshole." 100 Bullets #42 | |||||
