Rewatching Spider-Man (2002)

It's been a while. I originally saw it in the theater, liked it a lot, then bought the DVD. I am raising my rating from a 7 to an 8 out of 10.

I believe they intended to make a trilogy, and they did, but this movie works best as a standalone film. I say this because the two sequels, while the first is good in several ways, fall short of what I expected. I would rather leave it be, with Peter feeling guilty about Uncle Ben's death Harry swearing revenge on Spider-Man and MJ & Pete's relationship in flux.

The movie itself feels very comic book-y, from scene to scene, as if it they meant for it to be a live action episode of the cartoons. The next two films don't follow this style, and I find myself missing it. The film is stylish (even compared to the more stylish remake) and has good pacing. 

One thing I would've done better is the costume changes. For example, when the Green Goblin attacks Jameson, poof! and suddenly Peter is in costume. It is about 10 seconds if I recall, and Peter's outfit wouldn't allow that fast of a change. By prolonging the dialogue, this would've been more believable, as well as the attack during the parade. There is a neat slow-mo shot of Peter revealing his costume, but then too quickly again, he's rocking the whole thing. I also don't understand why Peter has to be mask-less during the alley attack. Seems like the easiest part of the costume to put on, since he is already wearing the costume beneath his clothing. I realize that this is not something that is taken seriously in comic books/movies, but it could've been done better.

And the award for best nipple-otography goes to...

I understand the romantic ambiance of the rain during the upside down kiss scene, but Dunst's nipples are so difficult to ignore. She appears to be wearing a bra, but I think the solution would've been a different top entirely. She has such a low neckline throughout the picture. I'm not saying that I don't like seeing her all wet and smitten, but it is quite jarring from the rest of the film.

Another issue is how Spider-Man calls MJ by name several times, and it doesn't makes sense. One scene of MJ telling him her name would've made this less annoying. It makes MJ look really stupid for not wondering how Spider-Man knows her name, aside from the obvious vocal similarity that is usually ignored in superhero films. Speaking of which, Goblin's voice is mostly different enough to not tell it is Norman, and Spider-Man has a deeper voice in most scenes.

Guess who I invited to Thanksgiving dinner!

Willem Dafoe gives the best performance, with Tobey Maguire not far behind as well as James Franco. They did a good job of making Harry & Norman look and appear like father and son. The CGI actually held up remarkably well, despite my predictions that it would be glaringly bad. The worst instances are with the Goblin during the parade attack.

What do you think of this movie? For reference, I also gave the remake an 8 out of 10. This one is definitely more theatrical though and it works wonderfully with the Goblin in this scene. Watching the special features was neat, because Dafoe had a ball doing the fights and glider motions.

In Memoriam: Humphrey Bogart

 "I just don't like being called a hog, that's all."-Humphrey Bogart,
in 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre'

Had it been my time era, I would've loved going to see him in the movies. I've just started enjoying them now and saw it would've been his birthday today.

I was glad to discover that he did win an Academy Award during his career. I will be watching this little documentary about him as a way to celebrate and reflect on his screen presence and voice.

We're the Millers (2013)

Rating: 7 out of 10

Review: After seeing the trailer, I figured it would be a good irreverent comedy. The humor was crude and raunchy at times, but overall felt Kevin Smith-y (which I like). It's a good feeling when one's expectations come through.

What interested me most was Emma Roberts, who I find gorgeous, aside from worrying that she is being type cast as the teenager due to her young appearance despite being 22 years-old. Part of me wished she was playing the stripper, not to take anything away from Jennifer Aniston who pulls a Marisa Tomei and looks fine for her age.

Jason Sudeikis plays a two-bit drug dealer and was impressively good. I don't recall seeing him in anything before, but he played both the drug dealer and tourist father well, fueling every scene with his "family." The awkward romance with the shy kid and the shy other family's kid was cute. Sometimes to get the girl of your dreams, you must go to Mexico in an RV to smuggle out drugs, get bitten by a tarantula (i.e. go viral on YouTube because Miss Roberts recorded it on her phone) and fend off notorious drug kingpins. All of that does wonders for confidence!

The characters were "edgy" and imperfect but still had values. I also loved the "R" rating. Anything less wouldn't have worked for this kind of story. To top it off, the dialogue was cynical, hip, and witty. The blooper reel was also a nice touch. Everything managed to be ridiculous without going full blown stupid. "Naw' what I'm sayin'?"

King of New York

King of New York is a stellar dark portrait. Stylishly shot, it makes NYC look so ugly and yet so addictive. It is far more than 'another mobster flick', with Christopher Walken giving the best performance I have seen from him yet, as he plays one of these exhausted shells persevere through and succumb to what feels like the actual underworld, reeling from shootout to shootout, breathing in the bullet-riddled air as they silently wish for respite in the shadows, a way out from this self-incarceration.

Alas, the only way out is death, and a single night feels like forever. Old school hip-hop bounces into their ears to drown out the shrill cries of subway cars, an ominous musical score, the prevalent crescendos of gunfire and the haunting laughter from Laurence Fishbourne that makes the Joker and black guy from "RoboCop" appear sane by comparison. The rappers ramble in sweet smooth rhythm, a contrast to the turbulent nightmare that plagues these degenerates, a constant loop fueled by bitter hatred, constant tension, reign-fall and chaos.

King of New York is a raw, ava-rich, violent, exhilarating tragedy that can dance with the best of 'em. I would dance with it all night long and enjoy the slew of topless black beauties that are bound by wickedness. I only wish that Janet Julian would have dwelt among them. What a thrill!

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

I watched this the other day, funnily enough after playing the Scarface video game minutes before in which Tony tells a drive-in manager to play some Bogart pictures, starting with this one.

I generally enjoy westerns, and this one impressed me. Black and white is nice, and the screenplay I felt was full of "I see what you did there!" moments, with Dobbs forgetting that his gun was empty due to his paranoia and greed dominating his thoughts, how fate gets the last laugh from the wind blowing the gold back to the mountain, and how two of the three weren't really seeking gold at all, but rather a nice way to retire and the life of a fruit grower. I think this intelligent writing shows Huston's appreciation for how important a good screenplay is for a film.

I also fell in love with the realistic dialogue, especially the fast-talking Old Timer played by John's father, Walter, who won an OSCAR for the role and joked about telling John once to cast him in a good role and that he did all right with that one.

Is it a good picture, or just a good western? (As Bogart and Huston disagreed about.)