I have returned - fresh from a big weekend and ready for the week ahead. Okay, scratch that. What I mean is, totally exhausted from a big weekend and ready to collapse on my bed and shrivel into a ball of protoplasm. This week marks the long, Long, LONG awaited premiere of Superman Returns, and despite all of my skepticism, frustration, and disagreement with the direction that this franchise seems to be taking, I am at the point now where I am simply putting all of that cynicism aside and just letting myself be enveloped by the sheer hype of THE FIRST LEGIT SUPERMAN MOVIE OF MY LIFETIME. What can I say - I'm a fanboy, through and through. We live for this stuff, and all we really want is to just get swept away in the hype and believe that a man can fly. So I'm doing my best right now to suppress whatever prejudices I have about the direction of the movie and just let my inner ten year old be in control from this point until Thursday night. The best part is that my tix are locked and loaded to see the movie in 3-D IMAX, so no matter what, there are bound to be action sequences that simply amaze and dazzle due to the sheer sensory overload of being assaulted from all sides by Superman doing super stuff in full IMAX 3-D. Yeah, it's game time baby.
But before I get to the Superman stuff ...
- This weekend, yesterday in fact, myself and six others decided to put aside other obligations and spend our Sunday immersed in Walt Disney-approved fun - that's right, day at Disneyland~! Although a large part of my brain told me not to wake up so early on a Sunday, I somehow did and the day was a go. All of us had a great time. We hit up all the big rides - Splash, Big Thunder, and (WHOOO!) Space Mountain - The Haunted Mansion, the Matterhorn, Indiana Jones, and darn it all, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Buzz Lightyear, Star Tours, Honey I Shrunk The Audience, and the Jungle Cruise. The only missing piece of the equation was Pirates of the Carribean, still closed for one more day until it reopened with incorporated bits of movie-inspired animatronic action. It would have been cool to check out the newly refurbished Pirates - but alas (and ahoy!) it wasn't meant to be. They actually did open the ride up briefly for a test run or two, but the line was so long that we went elsewhere, not realizing that it was only open temporarily. Oh well - Pirates or not, we still had an awesome time, even in spite of the suffocating heat. I know that I for one, while not quite the hardcore Disneyland afficionado like some of my NBC colleagues, am a huge fan of the artistry that spills forth from every crack and corner of the Disney theme parks, and enjoy just going to Disney and soaking in the atmosphere and appreciating the craftsmanship. As I've said before on this blog, rides like the Haunted Mansion truly are akin to four-dimensional works of art, and the effects on even an aging ride like the Mansion still invoke awe and wonder for their sheer artistry and "how-did-they-do-that" factor. I will say though that even as the classics like the Haunted Mansion and Pirates remain ageless, some of the "newer" stuff is very dated. Star Tours, for example, sorely needs an upgrade, and its noticably outdated technology really stands out to all but the youngest and undiscerning of Star Wars fans.
In any case though, I love what Disney stands for and I am almost always up for a trip to a Disney Park. Well, at least generously spaced-out trips - a day at Disney is friggin' exhausting! I barely made it through work today and was counting the minutes until I could head out and head home. But Disney was good times -- Thunder Mountain, hoooo!
- Speaking of work, whoever stocks our fridge needs to fill er up with some cans of Diet Coke asap! When I was paging it up in development, a poorly-stocked fridge would have meant certain doom.
- Also, it was good times this weekend partying at a Adam Blumenfeld-sponsored event. Adam's friend hosted a huge-ass party in West LA, and after so frequently reading Adam's hyperbole-laced away-messages describing the events he's attending on any given night (the man never rests), it was a thrill to finally be a part of one of Adam's trademark insane events, where pages old and new let off steam and brought the party to the party.
- Anyways, let's talk SUPERMAN:
- The Superman festivities kick off TOMMOROW - as I will be personally hosting my inaugural Summer Movie Night of the Week with a double-feature of the classic Superman and Superman II. Kneel before Zod, indeed. While I have my issues with those movies (can you say turning back time by reversing the planet's rotation?!?!), watching them again should be an excellent primer for Thursday's 3-D IMAX big-screen quasi-sequal.
- Now, a few weeks back I did my Best Superman Stories of All-Time mega-post. But what I DIDN'T talk about in that post was the high quality of Superman material being published RIGHT NOW. So for anyone riding the wave of Superman hype and looking for some quality ongoing Superman reading, you are in luck, because the ongoing adventures of the Man of Steel are currently more exciting than they've been in a while. Let me fill the uninitiated in:
As of now, there are two mainline in-continuity Superman comics. You have your Superman, and your Action Comics. Yep - Action Comics, where Superman made his first appearance back in 1938. Right now, one giant storyline is running through both comics - "Up, Up, and Away," an epic tale of a Superman who has lost his powers in the midst of an earth-shattering crisis. A year passes, and Superman has disappeared. The world doesn't know it, but Superman has actually become content with just being plain old Clark Kent, spending time with Lois and doing good not by superheroics but by the noble power of crusading jounalism. But when Lex Luthor resurfaces, so too do Superman's lantent powers, and Superman must return whether he want to or not because only he can stop Lex's latest deadly plot. Written by uber-scribe Geoff Johns and Kurt Busiek (writer of Superman: Secret Identity - one of my Top Superman stories EVER), and expertly pencilled by rising star Pete Woods - this is a great jumpin on point for Super fans. And when this story arc is over, never fear - Busiek continues as writer of both Action Comics and Superman, where in one book he is joined by one of the best artists in the biz - Carlos Pacheco, and on the other, a legend in his own right and member of the most respected family of comics -- Adam Kubert. This is gonna be good stuff.
But forgetting the mainline Superman comics, there's something else going on now that is must-read for ANY fan of Supes. I'm talking about the bi-monthly ALL-STAR SUPERMAN by mad genious Grant Morrison with art by the insanely talented and unique Frank Quietly. Anyone who knows comics knows that Morrison is the real deal - a writer who brings a Kirby-like imagination and an almost overwhelming density of ideas to everything he writes. And man, Morrison is bringing his magic touch to ALL-STAR - essentially a reinterpretation of the Superman mythos that draws upon all of the classic elements of the past. But it's no secret what era Morrison loves most - his Superman is like reading a modern update on all the trippiest, craziest, most completely whacked-out Superman sci-fi stories from the 50's, 60's, and 70's. The recent All Star # 4, featuring Jimmy Olsen, was a kind of tribute to Jack Kirby's psychelic Jimmy Olsen stories mixed with 50's science fiction and modern fan-favorites like Doomsday. Quietly's art is suitably stylized, yet ultra-detailed and brimming with little touches that make every scene overlfow with motion. All-Star Superman is out now, and it's fun as all hell. Check it out.
And now ...
While the reviews have been good thus far for Returns, even if it tanks, it still can't be worse than THESE all time low moments for the Man of Tommorow ...
THE WORST SUPERMAN MOMENTS OF ALL-TIME:
5.) Electro-Superman - Following the runaway sales success of The Death of Superman, DC in the 90's kept looking for outrageous, publicity-grabbing storylines to put Superman through. While some of the event-driven stories were fun, others were just godawful. Take for example the time when DC, to much fanfare, CHANGED SUPERMAN'S COSTUME from the classic suit to an Image Comics-style electric blue leotard. Superman's powers were changed as well - he now had no powers as Clark Kent, but could "turn on" his Superman powers - where, as the blue-skinned Superman, he could , wait for it .. manipulate the electro-magnetic field. Aside from a few good self-contained stories and one great issue of Grant-Morrison penned JLA, this whole ill-conceived concept was an electric-blue bomb.
4.) Supergirl: The Movie - After the success of the Donner Superman movies came this bomb - starring Helen Slater as the Girl of Steel. Lacking any of the quality of the first two Superman movies, Supergirl went down in history as a big-screen bomb that is now something of a B-movie cult classic, a high-profile low-point in Superman's big-screen legacy.
3.) The Superman Movies that Almost-Were: Nicolas Cage As Superman?!?! - Whatever reservations fans may have about Superman Returns, these fears are nothing compared to the sheer horror that might have been had Tim Burton's odd vision, or later, those of other Warner Bros. producers and directors of a possible Superman movie, ever come to light. There were many almosts in the storied history of preproduction on this latest Superman movie, but none, even McG and Brett Ratner as possible directors, were as terrifying as the prospect of Nicolas Cage as Superman, a gay Jimmy Olsen, a see-through, translucent Super-suit, a Kryptonian Lex Luthor, or any of the other misguided attempts at modernizing an icon. Luckily we were spared these abominations, but the ten year period in which fans could do nothing but cringe at each new news bit about the upcoming Superman movie was a low point in and of itself.
2.) The Milking of Doomsday: Like I said in my Greatest Superman Stories Ever post, the Death of Superman, in my mind, was a classic tale. And even its followup, Hunter / Prey, was pretty cool in its own right. But then what happened - Doomsday, the most effective villain introduced into the Superman mythos in years - became a joke. Every other month after the Death, Doomsday seemed to retuen, each time less effective and more of a joke than before. In countless stories - the Doomsday Wars, Day of Doom, Our World's at War, The Last Laugh ... every time you turned around Doomsday was back ad infinitum ... and each time fewer people actually cared. Kind of sad, really.
1.) Superman IV: The Quest For Peace: While not QUITE on the level of the Joel Schumaker Batman films in sheer craptitude, Superman IV was close. Vindicated to a degree only by Christopher Reeve's still-iconic portrayal of Supes, this movie nonetheless remained a campy franchise-killer, pitting Superman against, wait for it ... Nuclear Man, in what amounted to a heavy-handed and just plain bad anti-nuke message-movie. After this movie, it would be two decades before the Superman franchise could return to the screen. And it truly takes somethin' awful to kill the Man of Steel.
The SUPERMAN -- UNDERRATED LIST:
5.) Justice League Unlimited - Season 2: Maybe the overall coolest TV adaptation of Superman ever, the second season of Cartoon Network's JLU series showed a Superman who kicked so much ass that he was clearly the top dawg even when in the midst of a literal batallion of hundereds of fellow heroes. This season saw Superman duke it out with Captain Marvel, fight the U.S. government, and even driven to madness in a sweet adaptation of Alan Moore's "For the Man Who Has Everything."
4.) The Kents: Superman in a Western ...? Well, not exactly. But in this 12-part epic written by John Ostrander, we follow the lineage of the Kent family as they live through the Civil War, the wild West, and the turn of the century. Structured as a series of letters written by Jonathan Kent to Clark, this is a gripping, dense, and yes, even educational look at the American West, with a slight nod to the Superman mythos and the DC Universe at large. Mixing historical figures like Buffallo Bill with DC Western characters like Jonah Hex, the Kents is a great read that tells us something about the West, the Kents, and Superman himself.
3.) Superman: The Animated Series - Season 2: Superman vs. Darkseid, an alternate reality where Supes is an evil dicator, fun, action, great voice acting? Yep, Season 2 of Dini and Timm's spinoff of Batman: The Animated Series was huge improvement over Season 1, and contained some of the best Superman stories ever put to screen.
2.) Superman fan films - Grayson and World's Finest: Go to YouTube.com, and look up Grayson and World's Finest, respectively -- two Superman fan film trailers that will make any fanboy salivate with the possibilities that these brief trailers put forth. Imagine a world where Robin seeks to avenge Batman's murder, and ocmes face to face with a government-agent hellbent on concealing the truth - an agent by the name of Superman! Imagine a Batman-Superman movie. Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Lex Luthor, The Joker, Two Face, Catwoman, Lois Lane ... man, this trailer wil lget your adrenaline pumping. These are only trailers for fake movies, but the tantalizing promise of the ultimate fan-friendly Superman films makes them must-sees for any fans of superman.
1.) Karl Kessel and Tom Grummett on SUPERBOY: Right now, nobody by the name of Superboy lives in the DC Universe, or in any other universe, for that matter. Lawsuits by the estates of Siegal and Shuster are currently preventing DC or WB from using the name or likeness of Superboy. But back in the 90's and early 00's, the new version of Superboy - a teenaged clone of Superman introduced during the Death of Superman storyline, had his own series that was an awesome mix of humor, action, and imagination. Writer Karl Kessell made no secret of his love for all things Jack Kirby-created, and every issue of Superboy deliberately channelled the infectiously whimsical and imaginative spirit of Kirby with a modern twist. Superboy was surrounded by Kirby-created characters like Guardian and the Newsboy Legion, Project Cadmus and the Hairies, Dubbilex, Dabney Donovan, Darkseid, and the Zoomway. New characters like Tana Moon, Roxy, Knockout, and a great new villain in Black Zero won the series a cult following. And Tom Grummet's ultra-smooth, always consistent, Disney-like art made the series pop off the page like a classic cartoon series come to life. The series' high point was probably the multi-part Hyper-Crisis story, where Superboy breached the dimensional barrier and went on a twisting adventure though hypertime. Superboy, or Kon-El as Kessel eventually named him, became a fan-favorite character thanks to this great series (he even had his oen brief spinoff, Superboy and the Ravers) , which made fans all the more saddened by his recent death in the Infinite Crisis series. But while SUPERBOY never achieved huge sales, it was an awesomely-illustrated, imaginatively written, and highly underrated series.
Alright - that's it for now - back later this week with more. Until next time ...
Monday, June 26, 2006
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Life is a Highway: CARS review, NBA Finals, and MORE
All right ... what do we have on the table for today?
- Well, I feel like I accomplished something this week in that I got applications out in the nick of time for two writing contests that had their deadlines over the last few days. Early this week I submitted a newly-streamlined draft of IBA: The Movie to the Final Draft Big Break screenwriting contest, and just yesterday I sent out my application to ABC / Disney's Writing Fellowship Program. That one was quite a process to apply to. I submitted a spec script of The Simpsons, a resume, one page biography, and an application form that had to be notarized with an official seal. Luckily I found someone to help me out with that at NBC, for a while there I had no idea where to go to find a notary. But yeah, who knows what, if any, chance I have of success with these applications, but I'm just glad I got my materials in on time and am now in the running.
- Otherwise, work is slowing down as the week wraps up. Both of the guys I report to are in NYC until Monday for a conference, so I'm in a weird limbo phase where I am kind of holding down the fort with I-Tunes, but can't really give anyone definitive answers on things since I don't want to make decisions without first getting approval. I have people calling and emailing me from Bravo, SciFi, USA, and NBC, all curious about the status of their shows on I-Tunes. So it's a delicate balancing act.
NBA FINALS:
- So congrats to the Miami Heat on their first NBA championship. I have to say I'm pretty shocked that they won in 6 after being down 2-0 ... Dallas really fell apart in many ways and I think they have to get a lot more tough if they want to win a championship. Dirk Nowitzki is unquestionably a great player, but he just seems to disappear at the most inopportune moments. His fourth quarter in game 6 was just unbelievably nonexistent. The true greats own fourth quarters in big games, and we are starting to see D. Wade get to that level where he is just magic when it counts the most. But man, the Heat sure does have its share of annoying players. What's with Antoine Walker getting a cheap foul called against him, flopping, and then shimmying for the camera like he had just done something spectacular? And how about Gary Payton ... mouthing off to the refs to the point where he lost the ball to a steal at a crucial juncture of the game? Walker played pretty well in Game 6, but I have to think that the Heat, for the most part, got to the Finals in spite of and not because of the constant posturing, ill-advised shot-selection, and other "contributions" of Walker and Payton. One guy I am happy for on the other hand is Alonzo Mourning. While his "I-am-Warrior" attitude can be annoying, he has undeniably suffered through a lot, and he deserves to win a championship with the Heat - a team he carried in the playoffs for many years along with his running buddy Tim Hardaway. Man, I used to love that Zo-Hardaway-led Heat team - a squad that even pushed the Jordan-led Bulls to the brink a few times. I only wish T. Hardaway could have been a part of this championship run rather than coattail-riding Payton. As for Shaq and Wade ... these playoffs showed that Shaq is now firmly in the latter stages of his career, where he isn't always going to dominate like he used to. But he's paired with one of the top 5 guys in the league, Wade, so the combo works.
If nothing else, this Finals was a return to the fun, personality-driven matchups of years past. Unlike the endlessly bland series of Detroit vs. San Antonio, this Finals had all the bigtime matchups and built-in drama you could want. While only the last two games were classics, as a whole it was a lot of fun to watch, even if (aside from their odd yet cool use of Tom Petty music), I still find ABC's coverage kind of lacking. The commentary is passable, but the halftime shows are near unwatchable and the presentation leaves a lot to be desired.
Still, it's been a good NBA season, despite the league now being totally different from the on I grew up watching. It's funny though how there's like a whole lost generation of superstars - the guys who should have been leading the league into its next great era over the last few years, who for various reasons just fell by the wayside. Penny Hardaway was totally hobbled by injury, even though he was at one time one of the best in the league. Grant Hill's various ailments have all but ended his career as well. Alonzo Mourning was forced into a reduced role because of illness, Kevin Garnett is wallowing away on the Timberwolves, out of the spotlight, and other players like Jermaine O'Neal, Baron Davis, and others never really stepped up and took their games to the next level. So now it's as if we've skipped a generation, and it's the under-25 crowd that is dominating the league - exhibit A: Dwayne Wade - unofficial leader of the New NBA Generation.
CARS review:
I freaking love Pixar. I know, so does everyone else, but what can I say -- these guys are the Walt Disney Animation Studios of the 21st century, both figuratively and literally. They are churning out movies that are of such high quality that they are almost instant classics. I think the only thing that really limits the perception of their movies is that they come so frequently, unlike the old Disney movies that were years apart in release. But give Pixar credit - while Disney's animated classics mostly had the advantage of being adapted from already-classic stories, Pixar is going out there and coming up with NEW MATERIAL. Amazing, isn't it? In this day and age, where seemingly every high-concept movie is an adaptation of some kind, here is Pixar, creating all-new stories that nonetheless have nearly the power and timelessness of the old Disney classics.
Do I wish that the Disney animation studios were still going strong, producing a steady stream of hand-drawn, traditionally-animated movies? Hells yes - the fall of traditional 2-D animation, especially at Disney where the artform had truly been mastered, is one of the biggest tragedies of modern cinema. And there's no doubt about it - there is an absolute glut right now of computer-animated movies, most of which are crap. During the previews for Cars alone, I saw at least three or four previews for upcoming CGI releases (nearly all featuring talking animals), that had generic art styles, lame pop-culture refernces, and a grating need to be cool and hip, something that the classics were never concerned with.
But amidst that glut of CGI garbage, there is Pixar. Their quality of animation, of voice-acting, and above all story-telling is just amazingly and consistently good. While it can be argued which of their movies are better than others (Monsters, Inc. = underrated, The Incredibles = overrated), all of their movies have that special quality that elevates them above most.
And Cars is no exception.
To be honest, I was never all that excited about Cars. I'm not really a car afficionado, and I have zero interest in NASCAR or any kind of racing. And I'm generally resentful of American car culture and how we insist on these big, polluting vehicles that damage the environment and turn our country into a giant series of highways. But Cars instantly accomplished something that changed my tune. Like walking through the gates of Disneyland, Cars took everything that was fun, cool, nostalgic, and by-God American about cars and presented a whole world that was like some crazy 1950's-tinged themepark ride that could have come right out of the mind of Walt Disney himself. The retro-futuristic neon signs, the utopian visions of the ultra-sleek racetrack - this wasn't a reflection of the world we live in at all. No, Cars is a nostalgic look at a time when cars represented the Great American Ideals of progress, futurism, and good old-fashioned innovation. And suddenly, as I watched the movie, nearly every once of cynicism I had about the movie's premise, the automotive industry, or anything else vanished, and I felt like a little kid visiting Tommorowland. Damn, Pixar is good.
The voice cast of Cars is awesome. Owen Wilson is great as the fittingly named Lightning McQueen - he does his usual Owen Wilson cocky drawl but it fits the character to a T, and Lightning's gradual progression from self-centered racing star to compassionate hero is pretty seamless. Paul Newman - what can I say, he's a legend playing a legend, and he's basically perfect for the part of the old speedster who chose to finally slow down. All the other voices are excellent, even Larry the Cable Guy who provides both the comic relief and the heart and soul of the movie.
My one character complaint: It was a little bit wrong, in my mind, to have so many of the supporting characters be simple caricatures of cultural stereotypes. You had the hippie car, the Hispanic lowrider car, the sassy black woman car, and the over the top Italian car. I wish these supporting characters were a little bit more well-rounded, so to speak. But hey, if you're going to have Mexican and Hippie stock characters, you may as well go all out and get Cheech Marin and George Carlin to voice them. See, even when Pixar does somewhat lame, stock cultural stereotype characters, they do them better than the competition.
Otherwise, Cars was just magic, baby. The racing scenes were some of the most dynamically-directed action I've seen this summer. The visuals were brimming with detail and character. I mean, think about it - they got us as emotionally invested in TALKING CARS as if they were real people. That's no easy feat.
Thematically, I loved this movie's message. I've always been interested in the notion of small-town America, and some of my favorite stories (many by the great Ray Bradbury) deal with this same theme - the nostalgia for the idyllic, small-town America of yesteryear. Being here in the fast-moving world of Hollywood, I definitely felt some parellels with the plight of Lighting McQueen - the conflict between big city livin' and the simple life that lies in some quiet 'burg just off the beaten track. Cars just had this great sense of retro-nostalgia-futurism that brought out the little kid in me. I was legitimately sad when Lightning sees the town of Radiator Springs as it was in its 1950's heydey, and wishes he could have seen it in its prime. I think we, as a country, all feel that nostalgia for the golden age of post-war America, where the future seemed bright as sterling silver and idealism reigned supreme, before the realities and harsh toll of progress and modernity set in. And that's why the Car is so appropriate a metaphor for these characters -- the great symbol of innovation and invention, now a symbol of traffic jams and commutes to work and smog and greenhouse gasses and greedy oil companies. Cars is all about these contradictions, and amazingly is more thematically rich than most live action, "adult" movies I've seen.
Again, few complaints from me. The running time was a little long, and there were some sections that dragged a bit towards the middle of the movie. As I mentioned, some of the characters seemed a little two-dimensional (no pun intended).
But in the end, I came out of Cars thoroughly wowed and impressed -- Pixar had done it again. Cars made me think, it captivated me with its visual spectacle, and invested me in its characters. It had me dreaming of neon signs and small towns and big races - and that's what movies like this are all about, right?
My grade: A -
OTHER STUFF:
- The weekend approaches once again. The last few days have been quiet, but I stil lfell like I'm recovering from last weekend combined with the crazy Monday and Tuesday of this week, and the mild trauma of moving into new surroundings at work ... so I am more than ready to relax and recharge this weekend.
- I've had some requests to do an advice column on the blog. I think I probably need my own personal advice columnist and don't know if I'm qualified to be the one dispensing advice. So I don't forsee that happening any time soon.
- Superman's Return is imminent! I'm going to try to do at least one or two more Superman-related columns in the next week. Someone asked me today if Superman comics are even still being published. A fact for those not in the know - Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are the only three charactars that have been continually published in monthly comic format for more that 50 years!
- As for the movie itself though, I am getting a pretty good idea of what to expect, and I just feel kind of letdown at this point. I'm excited sure, but I just feel like they are going in the wrong direction with the franchise on so many levels. Pixar should be commissioned to do an animated Supes movie -- get Brad Bird and co. on that ASAP.
- Alright, it's time to call it a day, blog-writing-wise. As always leave your comments, share your opinions, and DON'T HATE THE PLAYA, HATE THE GAME. Indeed.
- Well, I feel like I accomplished something this week in that I got applications out in the nick of time for two writing contests that had their deadlines over the last few days. Early this week I submitted a newly-streamlined draft of IBA: The Movie to the Final Draft Big Break screenwriting contest, and just yesterday I sent out my application to ABC / Disney's Writing Fellowship Program. That one was quite a process to apply to. I submitted a spec script of The Simpsons, a resume, one page biography, and an application form that had to be notarized with an official seal. Luckily I found someone to help me out with that at NBC, for a while there I had no idea where to go to find a notary. But yeah, who knows what, if any, chance I have of success with these applications, but I'm just glad I got my materials in on time and am now in the running.
- Otherwise, work is slowing down as the week wraps up. Both of the guys I report to are in NYC until Monday for a conference, so I'm in a weird limbo phase where I am kind of holding down the fort with I-Tunes, but can't really give anyone definitive answers on things since I don't want to make decisions without first getting approval. I have people calling and emailing me from Bravo, SciFi, USA, and NBC, all curious about the status of their shows on I-Tunes. So it's a delicate balancing act.
NBA FINALS:
- So congrats to the Miami Heat on their first NBA championship. I have to say I'm pretty shocked that they won in 6 after being down 2-0 ... Dallas really fell apart in many ways and I think they have to get a lot more tough if they want to win a championship. Dirk Nowitzki is unquestionably a great player, but he just seems to disappear at the most inopportune moments. His fourth quarter in game 6 was just unbelievably nonexistent. The true greats own fourth quarters in big games, and we are starting to see D. Wade get to that level where he is just magic when it counts the most. But man, the Heat sure does have its share of annoying players. What's with Antoine Walker getting a cheap foul called against him, flopping, and then shimmying for the camera like he had just done something spectacular? And how about Gary Payton ... mouthing off to the refs to the point where he lost the ball to a steal at a crucial juncture of the game? Walker played pretty well in Game 6, but I have to think that the Heat, for the most part, got to the Finals in spite of and not because of the constant posturing, ill-advised shot-selection, and other "contributions" of Walker and Payton. One guy I am happy for on the other hand is Alonzo Mourning. While his "I-am-Warrior" attitude can be annoying, he has undeniably suffered through a lot, and he deserves to win a championship with the Heat - a team he carried in the playoffs for many years along with his running buddy Tim Hardaway. Man, I used to love that Zo-Hardaway-led Heat team - a squad that even pushed the Jordan-led Bulls to the brink a few times. I only wish T. Hardaway could have been a part of this championship run rather than coattail-riding Payton. As for Shaq and Wade ... these playoffs showed that Shaq is now firmly in the latter stages of his career, where he isn't always going to dominate like he used to. But he's paired with one of the top 5 guys in the league, Wade, so the combo works.
If nothing else, this Finals was a return to the fun, personality-driven matchups of years past. Unlike the endlessly bland series of Detroit vs. San Antonio, this Finals had all the bigtime matchups and built-in drama you could want. While only the last two games were classics, as a whole it was a lot of fun to watch, even if (aside from their odd yet cool use of Tom Petty music), I still find ABC's coverage kind of lacking. The commentary is passable, but the halftime shows are near unwatchable and the presentation leaves a lot to be desired.
Still, it's been a good NBA season, despite the league now being totally different from the on I grew up watching. It's funny though how there's like a whole lost generation of superstars - the guys who should have been leading the league into its next great era over the last few years, who for various reasons just fell by the wayside. Penny Hardaway was totally hobbled by injury, even though he was at one time one of the best in the league. Grant Hill's various ailments have all but ended his career as well. Alonzo Mourning was forced into a reduced role because of illness, Kevin Garnett is wallowing away on the Timberwolves, out of the spotlight, and other players like Jermaine O'Neal, Baron Davis, and others never really stepped up and took their games to the next level. So now it's as if we've skipped a generation, and it's the under-25 crowd that is dominating the league - exhibit A: Dwayne Wade - unofficial leader of the New NBA Generation.
CARS review:
I freaking love Pixar. I know, so does everyone else, but what can I say -- these guys are the Walt Disney Animation Studios of the 21st century, both figuratively and literally. They are churning out movies that are of such high quality that they are almost instant classics. I think the only thing that really limits the perception of their movies is that they come so frequently, unlike the old Disney movies that were years apart in release. But give Pixar credit - while Disney's animated classics mostly had the advantage of being adapted from already-classic stories, Pixar is going out there and coming up with NEW MATERIAL. Amazing, isn't it? In this day and age, where seemingly every high-concept movie is an adaptation of some kind, here is Pixar, creating all-new stories that nonetheless have nearly the power and timelessness of the old Disney classics.
Do I wish that the Disney animation studios were still going strong, producing a steady stream of hand-drawn, traditionally-animated movies? Hells yes - the fall of traditional 2-D animation, especially at Disney where the artform had truly been mastered, is one of the biggest tragedies of modern cinema. And there's no doubt about it - there is an absolute glut right now of computer-animated movies, most of which are crap. During the previews for Cars alone, I saw at least three or four previews for upcoming CGI releases (nearly all featuring talking animals), that had generic art styles, lame pop-culture refernces, and a grating need to be cool and hip, something that the classics were never concerned with.
But amidst that glut of CGI garbage, there is Pixar. Their quality of animation, of voice-acting, and above all story-telling is just amazingly and consistently good. While it can be argued which of their movies are better than others (Monsters, Inc. = underrated, The Incredibles = overrated), all of their movies have that special quality that elevates them above most.
And Cars is no exception.
To be honest, I was never all that excited about Cars. I'm not really a car afficionado, and I have zero interest in NASCAR or any kind of racing. And I'm generally resentful of American car culture and how we insist on these big, polluting vehicles that damage the environment and turn our country into a giant series of highways. But Cars instantly accomplished something that changed my tune. Like walking through the gates of Disneyland, Cars took everything that was fun, cool, nostalgic, and by-God American about cars and presented a whole world that was like some crazy 1950's-tinged themepark ride that could have come right out of the mind of Walt Disney himself. The retro-futuristic neon signs, the utopian visions of the ultra-sleek racetrack - this wasn't a reflection of the world we live in at all. No, Cars is a nostalgic look at a time when cars represented the Great American Ideals of progress, futurism, and good old-fashioned innovation. And suddenly, as I watched the movie, nearly every once of cynicism I had about the movie's premise, the automotive industry, or anything else vanished, and I felt like a little kid visiting Tommorowland. Damn, Pixar is good.
The voice cast of Cars is awesome. Owen Wilson is great as the fittingly named Lightning McQueen - he does his usual Owen Wilson cocky drawl but it fits the character to a T, and Lightning's gradual progression from self-centered racing star to compassionate hero is pretty seamless. Paul Newman - what can I say, he's a legend playing a legend, and he's basically perfect for the part of the old speedster who chose to finally slow down. All the other voices are excellent, even Larry the Cable Guy who provides both the comic relief and the heart and soul of the movie.
My one character complaint: It was a little bit wrong, in my mind, to have so many of the supporting characters be simple caricatures of cultural stereotypes. You had the hippie car, the Hispanic lowrider car, the sassy black woman car, and the over the top Italian car. I wish these supporting characters were a little bit more well-rounded, so to speak. But hey, if you're going to have Mexican and Hippie stock characters, you may as well go all out and get Cheech Marin and George Carlin to voice them. See, even when Pixar does somewhat lame, stock cultural stereotype characters, they do them better than the competition.
Otherwise, Cars was just magic, baby. The racing scenes were some of the most dynamically-directed action I've seen this summer. The visuals were brimming with detail and character. I mean, think about it - they got us as emotionally invested in TALKING CARS as if they were real people. That's no easy feat.
Thematically, I loved this movie's message. I've always been interested in the notion of small-town America, and some of my favorite stories (many by the great Ray Bradbury) deal with this same theme - the nostalgia for the idyllic, small-town America of yesteryear. Being here in the fast-moving world of Hollywood, I definitely felt some parellels with the plight of Lighting McQueen - the conflict between big city livin' and the simple life that lies in some quiet 'burg just off the beaten track. Cars just had this great sense of retro-nostalgia-futurism that brought out the little kid in me. I was legitimately sad when Lightning sees the town of Radiator Springs as it was in its 1950's heydey, and wishes he could have seen it in its prime. I think we, as a country, all feel that nostalgia for the golden age of post-war America, where the future seemed bright as sterling silver and idealism reigned supreme, before the realities and harsh toll of progress and modernity set in. And that's why the Car is so appropriate a metaphor for these characters -- the great symbol of innovation and invention, now a symbol of traffic jams and commutes to work and smog and greenhouse gasses and greedy oil companies. Cars is all about these contradictions, and amazingly is more thematically rich than most live action, "adult" movies I've seen.
Again, few complaints from me. The running time was a little long, and there were some sections that dragged a bit towards the middle of the movie. As I mentioned, some of the characters seemed a little two-dimensional (no pun intended).
But in the end, I came out of Cars thoroughly wowed and impressed -- Pixar had done it again. Cars made me think, it captivated me with its visual spectacle, and invested me in its characters. It had me dreaming of neon signs and small towns and big races - and that's what movies like this are all about, right?
My grade: A -
OTHER STUFF:
- The weekend approaches once again. The last few days have been quiet, but I stil lfell like I'm recovering from last weekend combined with the crazy Monday and Tuesday of this week, and the mild trauma of moving into new surroundings at work ... so I am more than ready to relax and recharge this weekend.
- I've had some requests to do an advice column on the blog. I think I probably need my own personal advice columnist and don't know if I'm qualified to be the one dispensing advice. So I don't forsee that happening any time soon.
- Superman's Return is imminent! I'm going to try to do at least one or two more Superman-related columns in the next week. Someone asked me today if Superman comics are even still being published. A fact for those not in the know - Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are the only three charactars that have been continually published in monthly comic format for more that 50 years!
- As for the movie itself though, I am getting a pretty good idea of what to expect, and I just feel kind of letdown at this point. I'm excited sure, but I just feel like they are going in the wrong direction with the franchise on so many levels. Pixar should be commissioned to do an animated Supes movie -- get Brad Bird and co. on that ASAP.
- Alright, it's time to call it a day, blog-writing-wise. As always leave your comments, share your opinions, and DON'T HATE THE PLAYA, HATE THE GAME. Indeed.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Nacho' Blog: New Office, Nacho Libre Review, and MORE
So here I am in my brand spankin' new office.
And as I peruse one of my new favorite blogs, thecompanybitch.blogspot.com, I wonder what is going on. Here I am, coming to work wearing khaki pants and a button down shirt, sitting in an office staring at a computer, "managing" things for a large corporation, doing such tasks as making Excel charts, cc'ing people on emails, and trying to figure out the best position for my computer monitor.
Nevertheless, I can't complain too much right now. In a way this could be just the interim position I need to be in before I take some as of yet unknown next step into the Hollywood wilderness. I'm not really doing typical assistant tasks, like rolling calls or anything like that, which is great, as I really can't say I'm a fan of, or particularly skilled at, handling high volumes of phone traffic, especially when the people on the other end are the typical, you know, showbiz types.
This office really is kinda funny though. It's an odd mix of buttoned-up new media people (weird as I think of new media people in the silicon-valley, let's-have-fun with Google! in our funky new-agey office-spaces stereotype), along with the crew from Bravo. 'Nuff said. Not that there's anything wrong with that ...
Anyways, it is what it is. It's too early to really comment, I guess. Today is already much better than yesterday, where I had to arrive at Universal at 8 am to give the movers the go-ahead to move my stuff to Pinnacle. I was totally wiped out from Sunday's NBC Page Bonfire. Even if I hadn't had to wake up so early, I would have been out of it. The early start time combined with the usual weariness that comes with starting in new surroundings made yesterday the longest day ever. I could not wait to bolt out of work and rush home to collapse on my bed and seize all physical / mental function.
On one random note ... I saw JOAN RIVERS, followed by a small crew of assistants, entering the Pinnacle building yesterday, on my first day at work there. OH! OH! Haha, very odd. By all acouunts - the way she walked, moved, her posture - she was every bit the 70-something elderly Jewish woman she actually is. Just one who happens to have a freakishly smooth face. Presumably she was there to meet with Bravo or something, but who knows.
But getting away from all this work crap ...
- Sad, I know -- I LOST THE GREAT NACHO LIBRE BET WITH ABBY.
What does this mean for YOU?!?! Well, it means that, as an added stipulation to our wager, ou will soon see a special edition of the blog that is written by special-guest contributor Abby! I know, I know, it should be interesting ...
But, about Nacho:
Nacho still took in a nifty 27 million or so, but I admit that 40 mil was a bit of a bold prediction on my part. With something that attracts a cult audience, it's really hard to tell just how big that audience actually is, because all the internet chatter, t-shirt sales, etc can at times lead one to overestimate something's actual fanbase. I think Nacho probably did perform VERY well in its targeted demo of kids and teens. It's problem was that unlike, say, the Wedding Crashers, most people over 35 probably have no clue why Jack Black in a lucha libre mask is supposed to be funny. Napoleon Dynamite launched with little fanfare and soon became a cult, near-mainstream hit. Nacho had all the expectations of a post-Napoleon landscape riding on its shoulders, and the starpower of Jack Black to boot, so it definitely carried with it a lot of hype. The funny thing is that critics and even audiences seemed surprised to find not a "Jack Black movie" (whatever that is) but a Jared Hess movie -- quirky and simplistic, anything but conventional, and unique in its deadpan style of humor.
So yes, I lost the bet, but I think that Nacho is a great second effort from Hess that will have pretty good legs at the box office and do great on DVD as well.
And now, on to the REVIEW ...
But first off, a word on critics.
Every critic has moments where they win or lose you. Of course, you can't agree with a particular critic 100 % of the time, but sometimes a critic's particular review is either so in line with your own sensibilities, or so out of whack, that you look at them in a whole new light. For years growing up, I would read the Hartford Courant's movie reviews and HATE what I saw. The hack critic at the Courant, I believe he was named Malcolm Johnson, was TERRIBLE. He basically hated everything unless it was a classic, Oscar-baiting white-collar piece of cinema. He gave all action, sci-fi, horror, and kids movies bad reviews. Of course, he didn't like most comedies either. And his reviews spent three quarters of the allotted space detailing the movie's plot, even if it was, say, Judge Dread. He never placed movies within the context of their genre, and never really explained why he did or didn't like a movie except in brief sentances praising the acting or direction. So yeah, Malcolm whatever-his-name-was lost me at a very young age.
But then I discovered Gene Siskel. Yes, of Siskel and Ebert. Siskel gave a little known movie that I loved called Dark City a great review - one of the only critics to do so at its release. At that moment, I was a Siskel fan.
Ain't It Cool News had my loyalty from the moment I discovered where it was coming from. A bunch of geeks who got so mad with the atrocities that Joel Schumaker committed to the Batman franchise that they vowed to scrutinize all genre films to the Nth degree.
Anyways, I have always been an Owen Glieberman fan from EW. He seems to be a real "pop culture" reviewer, recognizing when something is cool, new, different, or just plain exciting in terms of filmmaking. He is one of my go-to reviewers for mainstream drama, action, or scifi movies because his assessments are usually fair and well-explained. But now, I think Owen has lost me. Just as I don't know if I can look at Roger Ebert quite the same way after his recent, totally insane, in-character-as-Garfield review of Garfield 2, I don't know if I can trust Glieberman on comedies anymore.
His review of Nacho Libre was just terrible. He gave the movie a D+. What?!?! On what grading scale is Nacho Libre a D+ ? And his reasons for disliking it were completely inane. He compared it to movies like Tommy Boy that he disliked but then went on to appreciate once he caught them on late-night cable. Except he predicted that even repeated late night cable viewings of Nacho would not change his opinion. Owen came at his review from the completely wrong angle, and it leads me to believe that his comedic sensibilities are just not very good.
Just one more elaboration on why you can rarely trust critics when it comes to certain types of comedies.
- Now, SUPERMAN RETURNS ... it's getting stellar reviews from numerous sources, which in a way is getting me more excited to see it. BUT. Here's the thing with superhero movies. Most mainstream critics want their superhero movies to be as un-superhero-y as possible. They don't care about the source material, or the expectations of the fanbase (action! actual superheroics! a great villain! kickass-ness!). Still, recent superhero movies like X-Men, Spiderman, and Batman Begins, have been able to please both fans and mainstream critics by working as mainstream films AND being true to their source material. It's been a while since there's been a GOOD superhero movie that was a GOOD MOVIE but NOT in line with fan expectations. The Hulk might be an example. Or Tim Burton's Batman. Or yes, Richard Donner's SUPERMAN films.
So that's what Superman Returns is shaping up to be -- a good, maybe great movie in and of itself, that still, is not even close to what I want a Superman movie to be.
Right, back to Nacho ....
NACHO LIBRE Review:
I honestly thought that Nacho was a great comedy. Was it perfect? No. Was it the same blast of new-style comedy that Napoleon Dynamite was in the summer of 2004? Nope. But was it a funny, heart-filled, enjoyable comedy from start to finish? Hells yes.
I love this style of comedy. It's light-hearted, kid-appropriate, and innocent without losing its bite. Some have called Jared Hess' pension for oddball characters condescending, but I don't think that's the case at all. I think Hess' affection for his characters always shines through. And as one review I read puts it, what Hess does, in a way, is that he creates offbeat, slightly surreal worlds for his characters to inhabit that are probably not too far off from how the characters themselves see things through their eyes. In Napoleon Dynamite, the entire movie takes on the cartoony nature of one of Napoleon's quirky notebook doodles. In Nacho Libre, the entire movie, similarly, feels like a storybook that Nacho himself may have cobbled together for the orphans that he looks after. And I don't think that's condescending, just having a unique, funny, quirky vision for your movie's universe and characters.
Like Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho is filled with lines that are funny just because of how they are said. Jack Black's eyebrow-raising as he tells his nun friend about "lucha libre." His mopey angst at having no good "duties." You want to repeat every line after it is said just because the actors are having so much fun with what they are saying.
"I believe in Science."
"It is true ... I am Nacho."
"I was in ... the wilderness."
Just the way that Hess, writer Mike White, and the actors have so much fun playing around with words and ways of speaking is great. It makes dialogue that looks flimsy on paper instantly quotable, and every line infinitely memorable. The simplicity with which Hess and co create comedy is really pretty amazing.
Now so many critics say Napoleon Dynamite had no heart, which I don't see at all. I think that movie is full of heart, in its own way. But Nacho wears its heart on its sleeve. This movie is all heart, but not in a way that is disagreeable. It's all heart in the manner of Doug, or Pete and Pete, or the other classic Nickelodeon shows (this is a Nickelodeon film, after all), where its quirkiness and simplistic, kid-friendly charm wins you over and you begin to unapologetically root for the hero as if you've never seen another underdog-does-good movie before.
Jack Black is very funny as Nacho - his bombastic, flashy ring persona is constantly pushing to escape his subdued, restrained humble orphanage cook persona. Like all of us, he dreams of a better life of fame and fortune, not by being a movie star, but as a luchador - a participant in the high-flying, free-form style of Mexican wrestling known as Lucha Libre.
I love the absurdity of Lucha Libre. In Mexico, there is a real air of legitimacy around wrestling in that it's stars are treated as real-life superheroes, and the identities of masked wrestlers are kept completely secret. Losing one's mask is considered as being shamed, and so masked luchadors never remove heir masks when in public. Nacho plays up the absurdities of lucha libre, but revels in its fun. Obviously, Jared Hess has a real passion for the strange world of lucha libre, and that passion comes through throughout the movie. Like with Napoleon, he is pointing out the inherent absurdities of this world, but in a way that is so filled with passion so as to negate any perceived meanness.
Again, this movie was not perfect. The build-up to Nacho's climactic wrestling match was pretty short, and his archrival Ramses was not given much personality except as Stock Badguy #1. Some of the scenes fell a little flat, but that's to be expected in a movie where practically every word or twitch of Jack Black's eyebrow is a potential punchline. Also, Nacho's lust for his long-lashed nun friend seemed almost tragic -- we are happy for their friendship but the lack of possibility for romance is kind of an odd way to setup these two characters. I guess it's the mormon version of a romantic subplot ...?
Anyways, I had a ton of fun with this movie, and look forward to seeing it again and reliving all the funny lines and moments. I hope that more of these comedies come down the pipeline, as they are a great alternative to the latest Obnoxious Guy-Woos-Woman-And-Wins-Us-Over frat pack comedy. I'm happy that kids have movies like these to enjoy, that inspire and excite without the usual endless stream of PG-13 sex jokes.
D+? No way. Gliberman, come out of your cynical cave of poor comedic taste and embrace your inner luchador. I know I have.
My Grade: A -
OTHER STUFF:
- This past weekend was good times all around. KC, Whitney, and Megan's party on Saturday was most excellent, and the 2nd Annual NBC Page Bonfire (my first as a former page) was great times, even if the traffic to and from Dockweiller Beach near LAX was horrendous. Still, it was great to see all the old-school NBC peeps this weekend, as well as to meet the new class of NBC Pages (by new class I mean anyone who started after I finished). Footballs were thrown, sandwiches were eaten, stories told 'round the bonfire, and good times for all. Have I mentioned it was good times?
- NBA FINALS tonight .... daaaaaaaaamn. It's on now.
- Long entry, I know. I've got more to say but no more time to say it. Peace out for now.
NACHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooo ..........
And as I peruse one of my new favorite blogs, thecompanybitch.blogspot.com, I wonder what is going on. Here I am, coming to work wearing khaki pants and a button down shirt, sitting in an office staring at a computer, "managing" things for a large corporation, doing such tasks as making Excel charts, cc'ing people on emails, and trying to figure out the best position for my computer monitor.
Nevertheless, I can't complain too much right now. In a way this could be just the interim position I need to be in before I take some as of yet unknown next step into the Hollywood wilderness. I'm not really doing typical assistant tasks, like rolling calls or anything like that, which is great, as I really can't say I'm a fan of, or particularly skilled at, handling high volumes of phone traffic, especially when the people on the other end are the typical, you know, showbiz types.
This office really is kinda funny though. It's an odd mix of buttoned-up new media people (weird as I think of new media people in the silicon-valley, let's-have-fun with Google! in our funky new-agey office-spaces stereotype), along with the crew from Bravo. 'Nuff said. Not that there's anything wrong with that ...
Anyways, it is what it is. It's too early to really comment, I guess. Today is already much better than yesterday, where I had to arrive at Universal at 8 am to give the movers the go-ahead to move my stuff to Pinnacle. I was totally wiped out from Sunday's NBC Page Bonfire. Even if I hadn't had to wake up so early, I would have been out of it. The early start time combined with the usual weariness that comes with starting in new surroundings made yesterday the longest day ever. I could not wait to bolt out of work and rush home to collapse on my bed and seize all physical / mental function.
On one random note ... I saw JOAN RIVERS, followed by a small crew of assistants, entering the Pinnacle building yesterday, on my first day at work there. OH! OH! Haha, very odd. By all acouunts - the way she walked, moved, her posture - she was every bit the 70-something elderly Jewish woman she actually is. Just one who happens to have a freakishly smooth face. Presumably she was there to meet with Bravo or something, but who knows.
But getting away from all this work crap ...
- Sad, I know -- I LOST THE GREAT NACHO LIBRE BET WITH ABBY.
What does this mean for YOU?!?! Well, it means that, as an added stipulation to our wager, ou will soon see a special edition of the blog that is written by special-guest contributor Abby! I know, I know, it should be interesting ...
But, about Nacho:
Nacho still took in a nifty 27 million or so, but I admit that 40 mil was a bit of a bold prediction on my part. With something that attracts a cult audience, it's really hard to tell just how big that audience actually is, because all the internet chatter, t-shirt sales, etc can at times lead one to overestimate something's actual fanbase. I think Nacho probably did perform VERY well in its targeted demo of kids and teens. It's problem was that unlike, say, the Wedding Crashers, most people over 35 probably have no clue why Jack Black in a lucha libre mask is supposed to be funny. Napoleon Dynamite launched with little fanfare and soon became a cult, near-mainstream hit. Nacho had all the expectations of a post-Napoleon landscape riding on its shoulders, and the starpower of Jack Black to boot, so it definitely carried with it a lot of hype. The funny thing is that critics and even audiences seemed surprised to find not a "Jack Black movie" (whatever that is) but a Jared Hess movie -- quirky and simplistic, anything but conventional, and unique in its deadpan style of humor.
So yes, I lost the bet, but I think that Nacho is a great second effort from Hess that will have pretty good legs at the box office and do great on DVD as well.
And now, on to the REVIEW ...
But first off, a word on critics.
Every critic has moments where they win or lose you. Of course, you can't agree with a particular critic 100 % of the time, but sometimes a critic's particular review is either so in line with your own sensibilities, or so out of whack, that you look at them in a whole new light. For years growing up, I would read the Hartford Courant's movie reviews and HATE what I saw. The hack critic at the Courant, I believe he was named Malcolm Johnson, was TERRIBLE. He basically hated everything unless it was a classic, Oscar-baiting white-collar piece of cinema. He gave all action, sci-fi, horror, and kids movies bad reviews. Of course, he didn't like most comedies either. And his reviews spent three quarters of the allotted space detailing the movie's plot, even if it was, say, Judge Dread. He never placed movies within the context of their genre, and never really explained why he did or didn't like a movie except in brief sentances praising the acting or direction. So yeah, Malcolm whatever-his-name-was lost me at a very young age.
But then I discovered Gene Siskel. Yes, of Siskel and Ebert. Siskel gave a little known movie that I loved called Dark City a great review - one of the only critics to do so at its release. At that moment, I was a Siskel fan.
Ain't It Cool News had my loyalty from the moment I discovered where it was coming from. A bunch of geeks who got so mad with the atrocities that Joel Schumaker committed to the Batman franchise that they vowed to scrutinize all genre films to the Nth degree.
Anyways, I have always been an Owen Glieberman fan from EW. He seems to be a real "pop culture" reviewer, recognizing when something is cool, new, different, or just plain exciting in terms of filmmaking. He is one of my go-to reviewers for mainstream drama, action, or scifi movies because his assessments are usually fair and well-explained. But now, I think Owen has lost me. Just as I don't know if I can look at Roger Ebert quite the same way after his recent, totally insane, in-character-as-Garfield review of Garfield 2, I don't know if I can trust Glieberman on comedies anymore.
His review of Nacho Libre was just terrible. He gave the movie a D+. What?!?! On what grading scale is Nacho Libre a D+ ? And his reasons for disliking it were completely inane. He compared it to movies like Tommy Boy that he disliked but then went on to appreciate once he caught them on late-night cable. Except he predicted that even repeated late night cable viewings of Nacho would not change his opinion. Owen came at his review from the completely wrong angle, and it leads me to believe that his comedic sensibilities are just not very good.
Just one more elaboration on why you can rarely trust critics when it comes to certain types of comedies.
- Now, SUPERMAN RETURNS ... it's getting stellar reviews from numerous sources, which in a way is getting me more excited to see it. BUT. Here's the thing with superhero movies. Most mainstream critics want their superhero movies to be as un-superhero-y as possible. They don't care about the source material, or the expectations of the fanbase (action! actual superheroics! a great villain! kickass-ness!). Still, recent superhero movies like X-Men, Spiderman, and Batman Begins, have been able to please both fans and mainstream critics by working as mainstream films AND being true to their source material. It's been a while since there's been a GOOD superhero movie that was a GOOD MOVIE but NOT in line with fan expectations. The Hulk might be an example. Or Tim Burton's Batman. Or yes, Richard Donner's SUPERMAN films.
So that's what Superman Returns is shaping up to be -- a good, maybe great movie in and of itself, that still, is not even close to what I want a Superman movie to be.
Right, back to Nacho ....
NACHO LIBRE Review:
I honestly thought that Nacho was a great comedy. Was it perfect? No. Was it the same blast of new-style comedy that Napoleon Dynamite was in the summer of 2004? Nope. But was it a funny, heart-filled, enjoyable comedy from start to finish? Hells yes.
I love this style of comedy. It's light-hearted, kid-appropriate, and innocent without losing its bite. Some have called Jared Hess' pension for oddball characters condescending, but I don't think that's the case at all. I think Hess' affection for his characters always shines through. And as one review I read puts it, what Hess does, in a way, is that he creates offbeat, slightly surreal worlds for his characters to inhabit that are probably not too far off from how the characters themselves see things through their eyes. In Napoleon Dynamite, the entire movie takes on the cartoony nature of one of Napoleon's quirky notebook doodles. In Nacho Libre, the entire movie, similarly, feels like a storybook that Nacho himself may have cobbled together for the orphans that he looks after. And I don't think that's condescending, just having a unique, funny, quirky vision for your movie's universe and characters.
Like Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho is filled with lines that are funny just because of how they are said. Jack Black's eyebrow-raising as he tells his nun friend about "lucha libre." His mopey angst at having no good "duties." You want to repeat every line after it is said just because the actors are having so much fun with what they are saying.
"I believe in Science."
"It is true ... I am Nacho."
"I was in ... the wilderness."
Just the way that Hess, writer Mike White, and the actors have so much fun playing around with words and ways of speaking is great. It makes dialogue that looks flimsy on paper instantly quotable, and every line infinitely memorable. The simplicity with which Hess and co create comedy is really pretty amazing.
Now so many critics say Napoleon Dynamite had no heart, which I don't see at all. I think that movie is full of heart, in its own way. But Nacho wears its heart on its sleeve. This movie is all heart, but not in a way that is disagreeable. It's all heart in the manner of Doug, or Pete and Pete, or the other classic Nickelodeon shows (this is a Nickelodeon film, after all), where its quirkiness and simplistic, kid-friendly charm wins you over and you begin to unapologetically root for the hero as if you've never seen another underdog-does-good movie before.
Jack Black is very funny as Nacho - his bombastic, flashy ring persona is constantly pushing to escape his subdued, restrained humble orphanage cook persona. Like all of us, he dreams of a better life of fame and fortune, not by being a movie star, but as a luchador - a participant in the high-flying, free-form style of Mexican wrestling known as Lucha Libre.
I love the absurdity of Lucha Libre. In Mexico, there is a real air of legitimacy around wrestling in that it's stars are treated as real-life superheroes, and the identities of masked wrestlers are kept completely secret. Losing one's mask is considered as being shamed, and so masked luchadors never remove heir masks when in public. Nacho plays up the absurdities of lucha libre, but revels in its fun. Obviously, Jared Hess has a real passion for the strange world of lucha libre, and that passion comes through throughout the movie. Like with Napoleon, he is pointing out the inherent absurdities of this world, but in a way that is so filled with passion so as to negate any perceived meanness.
Again, this movie was not perfect. The build-up to Nacho's climactic wrestling match was pretty short, and his archrival Ramses was not given much personality except as Stock Badguy #1. Some of the scenes fell a little flat, but that's to be expected in a movie where practically every word or twitch of Jack Black's eyebrow is a potential punchline. Also, Nacho's lust for his long-lashed nun friend seemed almost tragic -- we are happy for their friendship but the lack of possibility for romance is kind of an odd way to setup these two characters. I guess it's the mormon version of a romantic subplot ...?
Anyways, I had a ton of fun with this movie, and look forward to seeing it again and reliving all the funny lines and moments. I hope that more of these comedies come down the pipeline, as they are a great alternative to the latest Obnoxious Guy-Woos-Woman-And-Wins-Us-Over frat pack comedy. I'm happy that kids have movies like these to enjoy, that inspire and excite without the usual endless stream of PG-13 sex jokes.
D+? No way. Gliberman, come out of your cynical cave of poor comedic taste and embrace your inner luchador. I know I have.
My Grade: A -
OTHER STUFF:
- This past weekend was good times all around. KC, Whitney, and Megan's party on Saturday was most excellent, and the 2nd Annual NBC Page Bonfire (my first as a former page) was great times, even if the traffic to and from Dockweiller Beach near LAX was horrendous. Still, it was great to see all the old-school NBC peeps this weekend, as well as to meet the new class of NBC Pages (by new class I mean anyone who started after I finished). Footballs were thrown, sandwiches were eaten, stories told 'round the bonfire, and good times for all. Have I mentioned it was good times?
- NBA FINALS tonight .... daaaaaaaaamn. It's on now.
- Long entry, I know. I've got more to say but no more time to say it. Peace out for now.
NACHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooo ..........
Friday, June 16, 2006
Live From Universal Studios Hollywood: One Last Time!
And so, once more, change is coming.
Today marks my last day over at Universal Studios. While I'll basically be continuing with the same job, at least for now, starting Monday, I'll be in the Pinnacle building in Burbank where NBC has offices. Very nice, swanky offices I might add.
And, oh yeah ... did I mention I will have my OWN office?!?!
Oh yes, you read that right, humanoids (note how i'm already more condescending now that I have my own office).
Seriously though, this move will be interesting. I'll be sharing office space with NBC's new media group as well as the folks at Bravo. Yes, Bravo, home of Project Runway and Inside the Actor's Studio. Look out.
I will be continuing, basically, with the same I-Tunes job as usual, though with some added responsibility since former I-Tunes guru Lloyd Scott is now over at MGM. Again, this should be interesting ...
They do seem to run a tight ship over at the Pinnacle building though. The office manager there made it pretty clear that there's to be no jeans worn to work, and implied that i had best be in by 9 am every day. I know, I know, no jeans and 9 am is par for the course for most, but I guess I've just been spoiled over here in the wild wild west of the 2160 Building on the Universal Lot.
And even though I don't think I've had a chance to REALLY take advantage of my time at Universal, it's still been cool. Universal - the home of Frankenstein, the Mummy, and the Wolfman. King Kong, E.T., and Jurassic Park. Back to the Future, Jaws, and dammit all, Van Helsing. It's been fun. Right now I can walk out of my office and peak into a giant soundstage and see an army of workers constructing a giant replica of Noah's freakin' Ark for the new movie Evan Almighty with Steve Carell. I work in a lot that is connected to friggin' theme park. How cool is that? I'll miss eating outside in the Backlot Cafe and pretending I was famous as the tram tours rolled by. I'll miss the commisary, with its elaborate wall-collage of classic movie posters from the golden age of cinema. I'll miss my occasional lunch-runs to Citywalk. It was cool to work on a movie lot, no doubt about it.
I do wish I had had a few more laid back days here where friends and I could have blown off work and gone to the park to ride Jurrasic Park and The Mummy. And I never really felt like I saw anything REALLY cool going on here that would have been the quintissential working-on-a-movie-lot experience. And yeah, as I've mentioned many times, being on this crazy-empty 7th floor had its perks, sure, but being so isolated was kind of maddening at times as well. Although ... as I sit here, writing on my blog, watching a tape of last week's MTV Movie Awards, and multi-tasking like nobody's business ... man, I don't think I'm going to be in this position again anytime soon. I've had it pretty good, folks. Now, onto the next phase. Bring it on ( I think ...?).
OTHER STUFF:
- Nachoooooooooooo! Tonight I venture out with a band of lucha-libre faithful to see Jack Black don the sacred mask of the luchador. Should be good times, and I personally am standing by my prediction of a $40 Million + opening weekend. Remember folks, there's a lunch riding on this, so a lot is at stake here! What do you think? Post your predictions NOW.
Nacho Libre - over or under $40 mil opening weekend? What do YOU think?
But come on people, I've heard the critics, and obviously I won't know what to think of the movie until I've seen it for myself. But can any fan of movie comedy honestly trust the critics when it comes to movies like this? Hells no, I say. Now I am always curious what the critics say about movies. EW, Ain't It Cool, Ebert, whoever. But I remember EW calling Napoleon Dynamite one of the worst movies of the year it was released! Now yes, different strokes for different folks, but that's why you can't trust reviewers when it comes to comedy, especially the quirkier ones that don't fall into one specific subgenre (ie sports comedy, romantic comedy, buddy comedy, action-comedy, etc.) where there is an already-established canon of great movies to make for ease of comparison.
I mean, let's look at some of my favorite comedies, most of which have big followings. Many not only did poor box office, but got poor reviews upon release. Wet Hot American Summer - one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, yet most critics either panned it or misguidedly praised it as a satire of 80's summer camp movies, which it wasn't really. Big Lebowski - John Goodman should have won a freaking Oscar for this, yet upon its release the movie was totally misunderstood by most critics. Yet it reamins one of the best movies of all time, period. Mallrats - in it's own way, as funny as Clerks, yet critics HATED it even as it established the cult of Kevin Smith. Napoleon Dynamite - one of the most unique comedies ever, and deserving of its huge following, yet critics panned it as condescending and lacking heart which I think is anything but the truth.
So yeah, screw the critics when it comes to most comedies. Just about the only modern comedies I can think of that receive universal praise from fans and critics are the Christopher Guest mockumentaries (Best in Show, Waiting For Guffman, A Mighty Wind), and I think that's partly due to those movies wearing their intelligence on their sleeve rather than hiding it beneath the layers of lower-brow (but still gut-bustingly funny) comedy that movies like Lebowski have.
I mean, I don't think most movie lovers are going to protest the poor reviews for the latest Rob Schneider vehicle, but ... critics are always WAY behind the curve when it comes to cult comedy.
Look at the Simpsons ... what critics were hailing it as one of the best shows ever when it was actually in it's prime in the 90's? People were too busy calling it subversive and a poor influence on kids to recognize its brilliance. Only much later did the mainstream press look back and say "oh yeah, it WAS pretty good."
Get my point? Good.
Nachooooooooooooo!
NBA FINALS:
Wow, Miami is back. Ladies and gentleman, we have ourselves a series. At some points in this series, with Shaq, 'Zo, and Payton on its roster, Miami has reminded me of the ill-fated Houston Rockets dream team of the late 90's with aging stars Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwuan, and Scottie Pippen. Each star seemed to alternatively relive their glory days on given nights, but it was rare that the team was firing on all cylinders. Of course, Shaq is probably more effective now that Hakeem was at the time, and then there's Dwayne Wade. The team will go as far as Wade can carry them, so it's definitely anyone's game right now. Things just got a lot more interesting.
TV:
Remember when the MTV Awards shows were like THE must-see programs on TV, filled with hilarious sketches populated by the likes of Mike Myers, Ben Stiller, and the like? I do. At least to me, as a kid, I waited in anticipation for the MTV Movie Awards each year as well as the Video Music Awards. just finished watchign this year's movie show on tape. A few funny moments from Steve Carell, Topher Grace, and Jim Carrey, but dayum, this was mostly weak sauce. Not exactly a shocker, I know. But come on, Wedding Crashers as Best Movie? Wasn't even Best Comedy of the year, let alone best movie.
- According to my friend Adriana, who is keeping a cool diary detailing her adventures studying overseas in Hong Kong ... my blog is BANNED BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT~! I had a feeling that this blog was an international incident waiting to happen!
Check it out: http://chinatravelschinatravails.blogspot.com
THE WEEKEND:
Lots of stuff going on, including Nacho, and the 2nd annual Page (and former Page) beach bonfire. If only i played the guitar ...
Alright, signing off one last time from the 'lot. (Pretend Back to the Future theme is playing in the background). Great Scott!
Today marks my last day over at Universal Studios. While I'll basically be continuing with the same job, at least for now, starting Monday, I'll be in the Pinnacle building in Burbank where NBC has offices. Very nice, swanky offices I might add.
And, oh yeah ... did I mention I will have my OWN office?!?!
Oh yes, you read that right, humanoids (note how i'm already more condescending now that I have my own office).
Seriously though, this move will be interesting. I'll be sharing office space with NBC's new media group as well as the folks at Bravo. Yes, Bravo, home of Project Runway and Inside the Actor's Studio. Look out.
I will be continuing, basically, with the same I-Tunes job as usual, though with some added responsibility since former I-Tunes guru Lloyd Scott is now over at MGM. Again, this should be interesting ...
They do seem to run a tight ship over at the Pinnacle building though. The office manager there made it pretty clear that there's to be no jeans worn to work, and implied that i had best be in by 9 am every day. I know, I know, no jeans and 9 am is par for the course for most, but I guess I've just been spoiled over here in the wild wild west of the 2160 Building on the Universal Lot.
And even though I don't think I've had a chance to REALLY take advantage of my time at Universal, it's still been cool. Universal - the home of Frankenstein, the Mummy, and the Wolfman. King Kong, E.T., and Jurassic Park. Back to the Future, Jaws, and dammit all, Van Helsing. It's been fun. Right now I can walk out of my office and peak into a giant soundstage and see an army of workers constructing a giant replica of Noah's freakin' Ark for the new movie Evan Almighty with Steve Carell. I work in a lot that is connected to friggin' theme park. How cool is that? I'll miss eating outside in the Backlot Cafe and pretending I was famous as the tram tours rolled by. I'll miss the commisary, with its elaborate wall-collage of classic movie posters from the golden age of cinema. I'll miss my occasional lunch-runs to Citywalk. It was cool to work on a movie lot, no doubt about it.
I do wish I had had a few more laid back days here where friends and I could have blown off work and gone to the park to ride Jurrasic Park and The Mummy. And I never really felt like I saw anything REALLY cool going on here that would have been the quintissential working-on-a-movie-lot experience. And yeah, as I've mentioned many times, being on this crazy-empty 7th floor had its perks, sure, but being so isolated was kind of maddening at times as well. Although ... as I sit here, writing on my blog, watching a tape of last week's MTV Movie Awards, and multi-tasking like nobody's business ... man, I don't think I'm going to be in this position again anytime soon. I've had it pretty good, folks. Now, onto the next phase. Bring it on ( I think ...?).
OTHER STUFF:
- Nachoooooooooooo! Tonight I venture out with a band of lucha-libre faithful to see Jack Black don the sacred mask of the luchador. Should be good times, and I personally am standing by my prediction of a $40 Million + opening weekend. Remember folks, there's a lunch riding on this, so a lot is at stake here! What do you think? Post your predictions NOW.
Nacho Libre - over or under $40 mil opening weekend? What do YOU think?
But come on people, I've heard the critics, and obviously I won't know what to think of the movie until I've seen it for myself. But can any fan of movie comedy honestly trust the critics when it comes to movies like this? Hells no, I say. Now I am always curious what the critics say about movies. EW, Ain't It Cool, Ebert, whoever. But I remember EW calling Napoleon Dynamite one of the worst movies of the year it was released! Now yes, different strokes for different folks, but that's why you can't trust reviewers when it comes to comedy, especially the quirkier ones that don't fall into one specific subgenre (ie sports comedy, romantic comedy, buddy comedy, action-comedy, etc.) where there is an already-established canon of great movies to make for ease of comparison.
I mean, let's look at some of my favorite comedies, most of which have big followings. Many not only did poor box office, but got poor reviews upon release. Wet Hot American Summer - one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, yet most critics either panned it or misguidedly praised it as a satire of 80's summer camp movies, which it wasn't really. Big Lebowski - John Goodman should have won a freaking Oscar for this, yet upon its release the movie was totally misunderstood by most critics. Yet it reamins one of the best movies of all time, period. Mallrats - in it's own way, as funny as Clerks, yet critics HATED it even as it established the cult of Kevin Smith. Napoleon Dynamite - one of the most unique comedies ever, and deserving of its huge following, yet critics panned it as condescending and lacking heart which I think is anything but the truth.
So yeah, screw the critics when it comes to most comedies. Just about the only modern comedies I can think of that receive universal praise from fans and critics are the Christopher Guest mockumentaries (Best in Show, Waiting For Guffman, A Mighty Wind), and I think that's partly due to those movies wearing their intelligence on their sleeve rather than hiding it beneath the layers of lower-brow (but still gut-bustingly funny) comedy that movies like Lebowski have.
I mean, I don't think most movie lovers are going to protest the poor reviews for the latest Rob Schneider vehicle, but ... critics are always WAY behind the curve when it comes to cult comedy.
Look at the Simpsons ... what critics were hailing it as one of the best shows ever when it was actually in it's prime in the 90's? People were too busy calling it subversive and a poor influence on kids to recognize its brilliance. Only much later did the mainstream press look back and say "oh yeah, it WAS pretty good."
Get my point? Good.
Nachooooooooooooo!
NBA FINALS:
Wow, Miami is back. Ladies and gentleman, we have ourselves a series. At some points in this series, with Shaq, 'Zo, and Payton on its roster, Miami has reminded me of the ill-fated Houston Rockets dream team of the late 90's with aging stars Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwuan, and Scottie Pippen. Each star seemed to alternatively relive their glory days on given nights, but it was rare that the team was firing on all cylinders. Of course, Shaq is probably more effective now that Hakeem was at the time, and then there's Dwayne Wade. The team will go as far as Wade can carry them, so it's definitely anyone's game right now. Things just got a lot more interesting.
TV:
Remember when the MTV Awards shows were like THE must-see programs on TV, filled with hilarious sketches populated by the likes of Mike Myers, Ben Stiller, and the like? I do. At least to me, as a kid, I waited in anticipation for the MTV Movie Awards each year as well as the Video Music Awards. just finished watchign this year's movie show on tape. A few funny moments from Steve Carell, Topher Grace, and Jim Carrey, but dayum, this was mostly weak sauce. Not exactly a shocker, I know. But come on, Wedding Crashers as Best Movie? Wasn't even Best Comedy of the year, let alone best movie.
- According to my friend Adriana, who is keeping a cool diary detailing her adventures studying overseas in Hong Kong ... my blog is BANNED BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT~! I had a feeling that this blog was an international incident waiting to happen!
Check it out: http://chinatravelschinatravails.blogspot.com
THE WEEKEND:
Lots of stuff going on, including Nacho, and the 2nd annual Page (and former Page) beach bonfire. If only i played the guitar ...
Alright, signing off one last time from the 'lot. (Pretend Back to the Future theme is playing in the background). Great Scott!
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
The Impact Player
So, for those breathlessly awaiting the follow-up to yesterday's job related news ...
Well, my meeting yesterday went really well, and it looks like I may be able to continue with my current job for a while, at least for the near future. However, I will be leaving the spacious isolation of my current digs and will be heading over to the Pinnacle building by NBC in Burbank. Of course, this is already turning out to be quite the process, as the fact that I am moving away from the Universal Lot presents the inevitable issues with upgrading my security clearances, getting parking, moving my computer and other stuff, changing my work phone number, and all that oh-so-fun corporate stuff.
It's almost like moving into new offices is my full-time job or something ...
Anyways, hopefully this move goes down smoothly and all of these headaches will soon be over and done with.
But as for my job itself, these last few days have been nuts. And here I was hoping that this week would be laid back. I am getting tons of calls and emails from people about all things I-Tunes related, as everyone is wondering what's going on with their particular projects as we make the personell transition.
So basically, I'm the man.
And to be the man, you've gotta beat the man. So who wants some?
I digress ...
But yeah, I just hope that the Pinnacle is a good work environment, because as much as being on a floor pretty much all by yourself has its perks, it can also be pretty maddening. Not to say that being in an Office-style office filled with annoying personalities is any better, but hopefully, that will not be the case.
In any case ...
NBA FINALS:
Man, what a game last night! It was funny, because I was really rooting for Miami to make a come back just for the sake of it becoming a good game. Then, once it became close, I once again began rooting for Dallas to pull it out. I've been a mild fan of both Dallas and Miami, but some of the personalities on Miami, mostly Gary Payton and Antoine Walker, really annoy me lately. Gary Payton has been playing terribly of late, making poor decisions and halting play with his ineffectual attempts at posting up his defender. But of course, the guy is so full of himself that you know that ONE shot at the end of the game last night more than restored any loss of confidence he had been suffering. Same goes for Walker. Whenever he makes ONE shot, he reassures himself that he can shoot. I'm curious what his three-point percentage is though, because he seems to take and miss dozens of ill-advised three pointers per game. The guy has talent but he kills his team in the clutch by making so many bad decisions. Luckily for Miami, Dwayne Wade had a Jordan-esque performance last night and negated all of Miami's mistakes with his amazing play. As for Dallas, they had better stay strong or they'll be in trouble. They have a tendency to go soft at the worst times, and I hope that they come out on Thursday with some good D and lots of firepower.
- MOVIES: Okay, so I have a standing bet with my friend (and bigtime Hollywood playa) Abby, concerning this weekend's release of NACHO LIBRE. I say it will make over $40 million opening weekend, she says it won't. I really hope this movie does do well, and I think it will. I hope it succeeds because it looks to be a quirky but heart-filled comedy in the vein of Napoleon Dynamite, which I would love to see more of. How many more mean-spirited frat-pack comedies starring obnoxious guys trying to get laid do we really need? Bring on the Mighty Winds, the Napoleon Dynamites, the Waynes Worlds, and yes, the NACHO LIBRES of the film world - the comedies that will truly be considered classics in years to come. I think Nacho will be huge - everywhere I go I see the T-shirts and paraphanalia, and I think that pretty much every kid and teen is going to want to see this, as well as anyone who has a shred of childlike sense of humor in them. It's the modern day Theater of the Absurd, and I can't wait. Nachooooooooooo!
- And, dammit, I still haven't seen CARS. Why won't anyone freaking go with me to see it?!?! Any takers?!?!
ART: I'd like to take a second to say RIP to one half of the great art duos, Tim Hildebrandt, who passed away this week. The Brothers Hildebrandt created some of the most awe-inspiring pieces of pop cultural art of the 20th Century. Famed for their striking depictions of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings characters, brothers Greg and Tim dabbled in calendars, comics, and more. But it was their movie posters that really stand out in my mind. One in particular that is probably one of the coolest images ever created. Close your eyes. Think STAR WARS. What do you see? I don't know about you, but I see this:
Well, my meeting yesterday went really well, and it looks like I may be able to continue with my current job for a while, at least for the near future. However, I will be leaving the spacious isolation of my current digs and will be heading over to the Pinnacle building by NBC in Burbank. Of course, this is already turning out to be quite the process, as the fact that I am moving away from the Universal Lot presents the inevitable issues with upgrading my security clearances, getting parking, moving my computer and other stuff, changing my work phone number, and all that oh-so-fun corporate stuff.
It's almost like moving into new offices is my full-time job or something ...
Anyways, hopefully this move goes down smoothly and all of these headaches will soon be over and done with.
But as for my job itself, these last few days have been nuts. And here I was hoping that this week would be laid back. I am getting tons of calls and emails from people about all things I-Tunes related, as everyone is wondering what's going on with their particular projects as we make the personell transition.
So basically, I'm the man.
And to be the man, you've gotta beat the man. So who wants some?
I digress ...
But yeah, I just hope that the Pinnacle is a good work environment, because as much as being on a floor pretty much all by yourself has its perks, it can also be pretty maddening. Not to say that being in an Office-style office filled with annoying personalities is any better, but hopefully, that will not be the case.
In any case ...
NBA FINALS:
Man, what a game last night! It was funny, because I was really rooting for Miami to make a come back just for the sake of it becoming a good game. Then, once it became close, I once again began rooting for Dallas to pull it out. I've been a mild fan of both Dallas and Miami, but some of the personalities on Miami, mostly Gary Payton and Antoine Walker, really annoy me lately. Gary Payton has been playing terribly of late, making poor decisions and halting play with his ineffectual attempts at posting up his defender. But of course, the guy is so full of himself that you know that ONE shot at the end of the game last night more than restored any loss of confidence he had been suffering. Same goes for Walker. Whenever he makes ONE shot, he reassures himself that he can shoot. I'm curious what his three-point percentage is though, because he seems to take and miss dozens of ill-advised three pointers per game. The guy has talent but he kills his team in the clutch by making so many bad decisions. Luckily for Miami, Dwayne Wade had a Jordan-esque performance last night and negated all of Miami's mistakes with his amazing play. As for Dallas, they had better stay strong or they'll be in trouble. They have a tendency to go soft at the worst times, and I hope that they come out on Thursday with some good D and lots of firepower.
- MOVIES: Okay, so I have a standing bet with my friend (and bigtime Hollywood playa) Abby, concerning this weekend's release of NACHO LIBRE. I say it will make over $40 million opening weekend, she says it won't. I really hope this movie does do well, and I think it will. I hope it succeeds because it looks to be a quirky but heart-filled comedy in the vein of Napoleon Dynamite, which I would love to see more of. How many more mean-spirited frat-pack comedies starring obnoxious guys trying to get laid do we really need? Bring on the Mighty Winds, the Napoleon Dynamites, the Waynes Worlds, and yes, the NACHO LIBRES of the film world - the comedies that will truly be considered classics in years to come. I think Nacho will be huge - everywhere I go I see the T-shirts and paraphanalia, and I think that pretty much every kid and teen is going to want to see this, as well as anyone who has a shred of childlike sense of humor in them. It's the modern day Theater of the Absurd, and I can't wait. Nachooooooooooo!
- And, dammit, I still haven't seen CARS. Why won't anyone freaking go with me to see it?!?! Any takers?!?!
ART: I'd like to take a second to say RIP to one half of the great art duos, Tim Hildebrandt, who passed away this week. The Brothers Hildebrandt created some of the most awe-inspiring pieces of pop cultural art of the 20th Century. Famed for their striking depictions of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings characters, brothers Greg and Tim dabbled in calendars, comics, and more. But it was their movie posters that really stand out in my mind. One in particular that is probably one of the coolest images ever created. Close your eyes. Think STAR WARS. What do you see? I don't know about you, but I see this:
Man, that has got to be one of the all-time iconic sci-fi images right there - the original movie poster to Star Wars: A New Hope. Just the pure imagination and iconography that that image inspires is simply amazing. Like Alex Toth, who passed away not too long ago, the bold, elegant work of the Hildebrandts has influenced generations of young dreamers, this one included.
- Speaking of Dreamers, I recently finished up Volume 2 of Neil Gaiman's THE SANDMAN series, which I am onnly now reading for the first time (I can feel my geek cred dropping as I type this). Pretty good stuff, and one chapter in volume 2 in particular, about a convention of outwardly unremarkable serial killers, was one of the most profoundly disturbing things I've ever read or seen, definitely the highlight of my Sandman reading thus far. I hear that volume 3 is excellent though, so I'll withhold my initial reaction that, while pretty good, I'm not yet quite sure what all hype about Sandman is about.
- Oh yeah, I think I mentioned it in my deleted blog post from last week, but a while back my work with I-Tunes finally yielded what in the back of my mind I had long hoped for: a free I-POD! So I am now the semi-proud owner of an I-pod Nano. Semi-proud because man, as nifty as the thing is, I can't see myself selling out $200 bucks for what is basically a glorified Walkman. The best part about the I-pod is it's tiny size, making it a great incentive for me to do some excercise while listening to some tunes. But the pricepoint is still ridiculous for what you're getting, in my book, and Apple is totally coasting on the perception that the I-POD is a must-have item. I mean, for only $120, I bought a Nintendo DS which is a dedicated games player that has Mario and Zelda! For $200, I could buy a Sony PSP that plays movies, music, and exclusive games. How then is an IPOD Nano worth $200? And how are so many people affording these? But anyways, since my home computer is a relic from my freshman year of college and still runs (gasp!) Windows 98, I am unable to run I-Tunes or the I-POD software from home. So I took the drastic step of burning all of my 4,000 or so ( I thought that was a lot, until my old boss Lloyd informed me that he had 50,000 downloaded songs!!!) mp3's to CD in data form, and then bringing those CD's into work and, from there, selecting a few hundred songs to go on the ol' IPOD. Pretty hardcore, eh?
- Ann Coulter debates George Carlin on Leno tonight. Could be interesting, but my guess is Coulter will eat Carlin alive in a debate. Sure, George is an impassioned individual, but that won't do him any good in a debate against Coulter, who has mastered the art of ignoring all opposing viewpoints in order to continually spew her unique brand of ridulousness. I am increasingly convinced that Coulter's whole persona is mostly a well-honed act used to sell books. But even if it is an act, it doesn't make her any less despicable or borderline-psychotic. To accuse 911 widows of enjoying their husbands' deaths? What?!?! Quite a generalization, wouldn't you say? In a way, it's not even worth talking about Coulter, because she obviously wants the publicity. On the other hand, her words are often so filled with misguided venom that one can't help but fall into the trap of playing Coulter's game.
- And that's about it for now. My work-related insanity continues throughout the week and into the next, so I guess all I can do is sit back, relax, and see what happens. Keep reading ...
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
The Company Man
Well, I'm sure many of you have just been clicking reload on your browsers over and over again, just hoping for an update to ye olde blog, anxiously awaiting any bit of new news about my mysteriously uncertain job situation.
Oh, right, that was just me.
Yes, it's true - my job situation in the last week has been so nuts that even I have been checking my own blog, in some feeble attempt to figure out just what in the name of Zucker is going on here.
Unfortunately, checking my own blog yielded little to no pertinent information, except for some rigamaroll about a new easier-to-read design and a bunch of other nerd crap.
So it's time to get down to business. Real business. Manly business.
My job situation - complete and total chaos. First - the background. My old boss, Lloyd, decided to leave NBC. Working with Lloyd these last few months has been a great experience - he's been great and allowed me to participate in meetings and calls, and all the while been laid back, supportive, and friendly.
But with Lloyd leaving, it left my job prospects uncertain. So of course I assumed the worst and began the job search once again, taking Lloyd's departure as a sign that it was time to perhaps change direction a bit, re-focus on the creative side of things and ditch the more corporate side of the entertainment biz while the getting was good. Providing, of course, that I actually no longer had a job doing what I've been doing - working with I-Tunes and EST (electronic sell-through).
So with Lloyd's official departure on Monday, things happened quickly, but of course quickly doesn't always mean decisively. At first, I thought I'd spend the next few weeks on the ol' 7th floor of 2160 on the Universal Lot, until the word came either that I was being kept on or given the boot. Then I was going to be moved to the nearby Universal tower, where I'd be closer to the distribution group who Lloyd and I have worked closely with on our I-tunes projects. While I was unsure about the move, I went down to visit and soon realized that it'd be a nice change to be around actual people during the day, and I would have been located nearby to many friends from the Page Program as well as other friendly faces whom I've met from my time at NBC-Uni. I spent much of Monday morning and afternoon coordinating the logistics of the move, and everything seemed to be in place.
Soon enough of course, plans changed. Now I was no longer to go to the Tower. Instead, word came down that I was to be moved to the Pinnacle building in Burbank - down the street from NBC Studios, where some groups from NBC and Universal have offices, including the man who would now be assuming many of Lloyd's old responsibilities. I've never been to the Pinnacle building, but I hear it's nice (with a name like Pinnacle, it'd better be), but right now I can only wonder if this will in fact end up being my new base of operations (base of operations, I like the sound of that ...). And will I be working there for a few weeks until the axe falls down, or will I be wooed to stay at the Peacock and given the VIP treatment, soakin' in the bling befo' "I hit twenty-fo'. Hahahaha .... I'm funny.
But yeah, yesterday was crazy stressful. The funny part is that some people now think I'm in charge of I-Tunes. Which I kind of am, in a way, but then again not really. I just have to assume my authoratative "camp counsellor / teacher voice" and act like I know what I'm doing. Could simply ACTING as if you're a big deal actually lead to one BECOMING a big deal? It's the secret that Hollywood assholes everywhere know and neurotic Jewish guys everywhere don't. Oy.
So the rest of the week will be interesting. I have a high-powered meeting (cuz that's how I roll) later today to get a status update on the job. Should be interesting.
But yeah, got to love all this corporate craziness. I'm kind of on the edge right now where it looks like I MIGHT have a number of opportunities banging down my door. Then, in a week's time I may have zero. Who knows.
That's what's up right now though, stay tuned for updates. Tower or Pinnacle? Jobless or high-powered exec? Soup or salad?
My future now rests in the hands of fate (and a bunch of other people, but who cares about them).
OTHER STUFF:
- I'm still upset about my last blog entry being unceremoniously deleted by Blogger. If it had been posted, you'd know about my opinion of Wendy's new Frescatta sandwiches (not bad), and of the NY Times article from last week, in which Bryan Singer claims that Superman Returns will be one giant chick-flick (WHY LORD WHY).
- This past weekend: mostly spent recuperating from the preceding week of madness. Did take in ECW: One Night Stand, which provided some intense hardcore fighting action, as me and Brian G gathered for a solid block of extreeeeeeeeeeme matches and death-defying stunts. Sabu vs. Rey Mysterio along with the insane crowd for RVD vs. Cena were some highlights. EC-Dub!
- I am also the proud new owner of a Nintendo DS Lite, along with New Super Mario Bros. Holy crap, this thing is awesome -- sleek like an I-Pod, but a lot more fun - the newly redesigned DS has the brightest handheld screen I've ever seen and is just soooo cool. New Super Maro Bros is liek the dream game I've been waiting ten years for - a new, 2-D Mario game? I'm there, baby. Now where are the other cool games?
- NBA Finals: Dallas is OWNING Miami, and totally shut down the Shaq-Diesel in Game 2. Game 3 tonight is gonna be interesting. It's do or die for Miami, and Dwayne Wade is going to have to pick up the ball and have a monster game, or else Cuban and the Mavs are going to be on the road to SWEEP.
- Alright, more later, when, hopefully, things revert to some semblance of normalcy around here. Until then -- assuming I come out of this on top, who wants to be my assistant? Submit your resumes now.
-
Oh, right, that was just me.
Yes, it's true - my job situation in the last week has been so nuts that even I have been checking my own blog, in some feeble attempt to figure out just what in the name of Zucker is going on here.
Unfortunately, checking my own blog yielded little to no pertinent information, except for some rigamaroll about a new easier-to-read design and a bunch of other nerd crap.
So it's time to get down to business. Real business. Manly business.
My job situation - complete and total chaos. First - the background. My old boss, Lloyd, decided to leave NBC. Working with Lloyd these last few months has been a great experience - he's been great and allowed me to participate in meetings and calls, and all the while been laid back, supportive, and friendly.
But with Lloyd leaving, it left my job prospects uncertain. So of course I assumed the worst and began the job search once again, taking Lloyd's departure as a sign that it was time to perhaps change direction a bit, re-focus on the creative side of things and ditch the more corporate side of the entertainment biz while the getting was good. Providing, of course, that I actually no longer had a job doing what I've been doing - working with I-Tunes and EST (electronic sell-through).
So with Lloyd's official departure on Monday, things happened quickly, but of course quickly doesn't always mean decisively. At first, I thought I'd spend the next few weeks on the ol' 7th floor of 2160 on the Universal Lot, until the word came either that I was being kept on or given the boot. Then I was going to be moved to the nearby Universal tower, where I'd be closer to the distribution group who Lloyd and I have worked closely with on our I-tunes projects. While I was unsure about the move, I went down to visit and soon realized that it'd be a nice change to be around actual people during the day, and I would have been located nearby to many friends from the Page Program as well as other friendly faces whom I've met from my time at NBC-Uni. I spent much of Monday morning and afternoon coordinating the logistics of the move, and everything seemed to be in place.
Soon enough of course, plans changed. Now I was no longer to go to the Tower. Instead, word came down that I was to be moved to the Pinnacle building in Burbank - down the street from NBC Studios, where some groups from NBC and Universal have offices, including the man who would now be assuming many of Lloyd's old responsibilities. I've never been to the Pinnacle building, but I hear it's nice (with a name like Pinnacle, it'd better be), but right now I can only wonder if this will in fact end up being my new base of operations (base of operations, I like the sound of that ...). And will I be working there for a few weeks until the axe falls down, or will I be wooed to stay at the Peacock and given the VIP treatment, soakin' in the bling befo' "I hit twenty-fo'. Hahahaha .... I'm funny.
But yeah, yesterday was crazy stressful. The funny part is that some people now think I'm in charge of I-Tunes. Which I kind of am, in a way, but then again not really. I just have to assume my authoratative "camp counsellor / teacher voice" and act like I know what I'm doing. Could simply ACTING as if you're a big deal actually lead to one BECOMING a big deal? It's the secret that Hollywood assholes everywhere know and neurotic Jewish guys everywhere don't. Oy.
So the rest of the week will be interesting. I have a high-powered meeting (cuz that's how I roll) later today to get a status update on the job. Should be interesting.
But yeah, got to love all this corporate craziness. I'm kind of on the edge right now where it looks like I MIGHT have a number of opportunities banging down my door. Then, in a week's time I may have zero. Who knows.
That's what's up right now though, stay tuned for updates. Tower or Pinnacle? Jobless or high-powered exec? Soup or salad?
My future now rests in the hands of fate (and a bunch of other people, but who cares about them).
OTHER STUFF:
- I'm still upset about my last blog entry being unceremoniously deleted by Blogger. If it had been posted, you'd know about my opinion of Wendy's new Frescatta sandwiches (not bad), and of the NY Times article from last week, in which Bryan Singer claims that Superman Returns will be one giant chick-flick (WHY LORD WHY).
- This past weekend: mostly spent recuperating from the preceding week of madness. Did take in ECW: One Night Stand, which provided some intense hardcore fighting action, as me and Brian G gathered for a solid block of extreeeeeeeeeeme matches and death-defying stunts. Sabu vs. Rey Mysterio along with the insane crowd for RVD vs. Cena were some highlights. EC-Dub!
- I am also the proud new owner of a Nintendo DS Lite, along with New Super Mario Bros. Holy crap, this thing is awesome -- sleek like an I-Pod, but a lot more fun - the newly redesigned DS has the brightest handheld screen I've ever seen and is just soooo cool. New Super Maro Bros is liek the dream game I've been waiting ten years for - a new, 2-D Mario game? I'm there, baby. Now where are the other cool games?
- NBA Finals: Dallas is OWNING Miami, and totally shut down the Shaq-Diesel in Game 2. Game 3 tonight is gonna be interesting. It's do or die for Miami, and Dwayne Wade is going to have to pick up the ball and have a monster game, or else Cuban and the Mavs are going to be on the road to SWEEP.
- Alright, more later, when, hopefully, things revert to some semblance of normalcy around here. Until then -- assuming I come out of this on top, who wants to be my assistant? Submit your resumes now.
-
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
If Looks Could Kill
Welcome to the new-look Adventures of Danny Baram. This is likely only one of a few more modifications to come, but I decided, after looking at a few other blogs, that it was high time to ditch the black background and go for something easier on the eyes. As always, let me know what you think.
In other news, I wrote an entire post this morning filled with quality stuff, but Blogger decided to freeze and shut down for hours, during which time entire said post was lost to blogging oblivion.
I may try to replicate some of what I wrote later on today. But for now, enjoy the new look.
In other news, I wrote an entire post this morning filled with quality stuff, but Blogger decided to freeze and shut down for hours, during which time entire said post was lost to blogging oblivion.
I may try to replicate some of what I wrote later on today. But for now, enjoy the new look.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Before the Movie: The Best Superman Stories Ever Told
Well, the weekend is almost over and, as I alluded to in my previous entry, this week is going to be a very interesting one at work. Change is coming on the job-front, so stay tuned here for updates.
But what I want to talk about now is Superman. As you readers can probably tell, I am kind of a Superman nut. So I, like many fans of the Man of Steel, am anticipating the upcoming big screen return of the original superhero with a mix of dread and excitement. Excitement because, hey, it's Superman. At his best, it's a character that is an inspiration - a symbol of our hopes and dreams and ideals. An adventurer in the tradition of Ulysses and Hercules. As much a symbol of Americana and our pre-war ideals as George Washington or Uncle Sam. As much a pop cultural icon as anyone. And a walking morality play as a character who constantly demands of us, in each new era, to reexamine the meaning behind his credo of "Truth, Justice, and the American Way." So yeah - to see the Big Red S on the big screen, in live action, is an event. Especially in a time like this one, with so much political uncertainty and desire for heroes, I think there is a desire for Superman to, well, return, in a big way.
But there is that dread to. Dread because Bryan Singer and his writing team seem poised to deliver a Superman that is not the one we want. They seem to be going for an homage to and continuation of the Richard Donner-directed movies that have their roots in the late 70's. They seem to have cast an effiminate lead to play Superman, a too-young Kate Bosworth to play Lois Lane, and Kevin Spacey seems to be channeling the goofiness of Gene Hackman in his latest take on Lex Luthor. The script seems to be focused on angst, romance, and inner turmoil - and short on big action and big themes.
But who knows, maybe the movie will come through. It's still too early to know. In the meantime though, here is my list of the best Superman stories ever written. Stories that paid tribute to the character's past and laid the groundwork for his future. Anyone looking for some good Superman stories should definitely check these out as we inch closer to the movie's release date. It's interesting though -- there really have not been that many GREAT Superman stories. There's been a lot of GOOD stuff, and a lot of that good stuff is found in a number of random single issues strewn throughout the character's decades of being published. Some of those I've read, some I haven't. Unlike Batman, who has had many deconstructionist, adult takes from the likes of mature-readers writers like Frank Miller, Superman has mostly worked best as a larger than life adventure character, and has never really had a story told with the mass appeal, mainstream critical acclaim, and classic status of "Year One" or "The Dark Knight Returns."
For me, the story that got it all started was The Death and Return of Superman epic in the early 90's. For me as a then-preteen boy, the story had everything I could want from a comic book. A huge serialized adventure that had me bracing for each new issue, awesome artwork, a huge cast of characters ... it was a perfect introduction to the DC Universe and its years of history and thousands of characters. Post-Death, the Superman comics kept me hooked even though the quality was up and down, with numerous attempts to recapture the spectacle that was the Death of Superman, which at the time fueled a huge speculator boom in the comics industry and nearly collapsed the entire market. Even in the midst of some poor attempts at "event" stories, the superman comics at thie time had some great self-contained tales, and great art from the likes of Dan Jurgens and Tom Grummet and Stuart Immonen, among others. But the fact was that half the fun of that era came from the focus on the supporting cast of characters, whose supblots continued weekly from title to title. Obviously, it's hard to maintain a great ongoing Superman saga over a long period of time, considering that with the way the stories are told you can't do anything to drastic to alter the characacters from the classic versions - but I think that that 80's-90's era, beginning with John Bryne's Superman re-defining Man of Steel series and ending sometime in the late 90's, did a remarkable job of making Superman / Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor, and the rest feel like REAL people, even when the plotlines weren't up to par.
And again, it's hard to tell good, ongoing Superman stories when you can only do so much to change the character. Perhaps this is why some of the best Superman stories deal with alternate versions of the character, where the familiar is placed against a backdrop of the unfamiliar - the future, alternate timelines, "imaginary" stories, etc. Other great Superman stories focus on Superman's role in the larger DC universe, and are effective by showing why, even in a fictional world overpopulated with heroes, Superman is the best of the best. And of course, a few of the best Superman stories are by Alan Moore ... because he is just that damn good. What doesn't work? Well, Bryan Singer take note -- at least one otherhyped-up Superman story in recent years fell totally flat and was slammed by fans for showing a weak, ineffectual, angsty Superman. Superman: For Tommorow, written by Brian Azzarello (known for his talent with hard-boiled crime fiction -- sound familiar?), was gobbled up by fans due to the pairing of Azzarello with legendarily kick-ass artist Jim Lee. But the meandering, confusing plot turned off fans attracted by the high-profile creative team.
So will Superman Returns take it's place next to classic Superman tales like these, or be the second coming of For Tommorow? Remains to be seen ... but for now, here's the Best Superman stories of all time. Happy reading.
THE BEST SUPERMAN STORIES OF ALL-TIME.
20. Superman: Time and Time Again - (writer: Roger Stern, etc., artist: Jerry Ordway, Dan Jurgens, etc.) In modern continuity, Superman never lived during World War II, but in this time-travel story, the modern Man of Steal gets caught up in a time-traveling adventure and visits the stone age, Camelot, WWII, and the far future! A lot of fun situations for Superman, and a great science fiction story from one of the best modern eras of Superman stories by some of his best creative teams.
19. Jimmy Olsen: Adventures by Jack Kirby (by Jack Kirby) - There's a reason Kirby is called "King." He's one of the greatest creative minds and most dynamic artists of all time, and when he lft Marvel in the 70's, the cocreator of the X-Men, Hulk, Fantastic Four, and others brought his energy to Superman, populating the DC Universe with an entire world of strange new characters and concepts. And of all the odd places to do it, Kirby picked the kind of obscure Jimmy Olsen comic - a spinoff of Superman focusing on Clark Kent's danger-prone pal. It was in this comic that Kirby staked his territory at DC, planting the seeds for his Fourth World - including the introduction of one of Superman's greatest villains - Darkseid. While the stories are pretty dated, the artwork and overall sense of fun and adventure remains.
18. Superman: They Saved Luthor's Brain (writer: Roger Stern, artist: Butch Guice, etc) - Another series of tales from the 80's / early 90's era, this collection of Lex Luthor-centric stories presents the classic villain at his best - aka, at his worst. We see a Lex Luthor who is so paranoid of Superman that he always wears a kyptonite ring to ward off his enemy - a move which ultimately infects Luthor with a deadly form of cancer. But even impending death can't stop Lex - desperate to beat his illness, Lex fakes his own death, disappears, and, well ... read the story (though the title may give some hints). A great collection of Lex Luthor showing why he is one of Superman's greatest foes.
17. Superman / Doomsday: Hunter / Prey - (by Dan Jurgens) - following the Death and Return of Superman, DC often tried to replicate the can't-miss, big event feel of that much publicized storyline. Most of the efforts fell flat, but surprisingly, the direct follow-up to Death, featuring the first rematch between Superman and Doomsday - the beast that killed him, was legitimately exciting. With perhaps the best artwork of Jurgen's stellar career, and an epic story filled with characters like Waverider and Darkseid (Darkseid vs. Doomsday!), that fleshed out the orgin of Doomsday with a pretty shocking (at the time) twist -- this was nothing if not a pretty kickass book. Doomsday has since been brought back many times ad nauseam, but really, only this first return carried with it the impact that the character should really have.
16. Superman / Aliens - (writer: Dan Jurgens, artist: Kevin Nowlan) - Jurgens has always been a great artist, and as an "idea guy" he is great ... but as a pure writer? Well, he ain't exactly Alan Moore. But he does excel at the big epics, which makes him a natural for a battle between Superman and the Aliens (aka the big nasty monsters from the "Alien" movies). Surprisingly though, this story captures much of the intensity, cluastrophobia, and character of the original Alien film, and is a damn good read, which is a rare thing for an intercompany Superman crossover. This is a hidden gem that is a lot better than it has any real right to be.
15. Superman: The Wedding Album (by Dan Jurgens, Karl Kesell, Tom Grummett, and more) - Supposedly, the long-awaited wedding between Clark Kent and Lois Lane was rushed in the comics to coincide with the wedding taking place on the Lois and Clark TV Show. But in the comics, the wedding had been a LONG time in the making, in a way. There was only, what, 60 years of history between Clark and Lois? And in the modern continuity, their engagement, in the monumental Superman #50 (preceded by Clark finally revealing his secret ID to Lois), seemed to indicate that a wedding was on the way. But a little thing called DEATH interrupted the plans. So while there wasn't much build-up in the comics to the wedding immediately preceding this special issue, the special itself was truly a joy to read, with an all-star collection of artists and writers paying tribute to Clark and Lois. While the followup issues, ie the "honeymoon," were underwhelming, the wedding itself was a comics moment for the ages. I said before that the writers of this era (the 90's) really made you feel like you knew these characters -- well it's a testament to them that this felt less liek the marriage of two icons of pop culture and more like the wedding of two people you knew as friends - friends who have Batman on their guest list.
14. Superman: Emperor Joker (writers: Jeph Loeb, Joe Kelly, etc., artists: Ed McGuiness, Duncan Roulou, etc) - The modern, late 90's -to- present era of Superman has seen a number of high profile writers take on Superman, but overall, the stories just lacked the fun and continuity of the 80's and 90's. But when the "new" era of Superman FIRST came about, it seemed to have a ton of promise, as one of the first "big" stories from Jeph Loeb, Joe Kelly was a near-classic. Sadly, this group would rarely again reach these same creative heights during their run, but what we have here is an epic tale of an altered univerese where nothing is what it seems ... because the force behind this strange reality is none other than The Joker, granted omnipotence in a sick, cosmic twist of fate. Oddly, this story has not yet been collected into trade paperback form, but I'm sure it will happen eventually, as it remains one of the most fun and sprawling Superman tales of the last ten years. Also, it was the breakout story for Ed McGuinness, whose classic-meets-anime take on Superman was one of the key artistic takes of the decade.
13. Superman: Red Son - (writer: Mark Millar, artist: Dave Johnson) There have been many "Elseworlds" Superman stories throughout the years - "what if?" style tales where Superman lives in other times, has his origin changed, and even whole stories that are simply about "what if Superman never existed in the DC Universe?" But of the altered-origin Elseworlds, this one is likely the best - a dark, mature take on Superman by Mark Millar that asks: "What if Superman's rocket landed not in Smallville, Kansas - but in Communist Russia?" This is a surprisingly kickass story, that examines what makes Superman well, Superman, and has a lot of interesting political subtext. It also features the best Superman vs. Batman fight outside of The Dark Knight Returns, which is worth the price of admission alone.
12. Superman: Eradication - (by Roger Stern, Dan Jurgens, George Perez, Jerry Ordway, etc.) - Yet another story from the 80's / 90's era of Superman, this is the ultimate look at the question of - Superman: earthman or alien? When Superman finds a strange artifact from Krypton - the Eradicator - he soon finds himself caught up in the machine's edict to preserve Krypton at all costs - even if it means remaking Krypton on Earth. Possesed by the device, Superman forsakes his Clark Kent identity and resumes his role as the Last Son of Krypton! This story introduces a ton of elements into the modern Superman mythos - the Eradicator would pop up in a number of later stories - and is also a great story in and of itself, one of the highlights of the post-Crisis (aka post 1986) era of Superman.
11. Superman: Peace on Earth - (writer: Paul Dini, artist: Alex Ross) - With just a select few projects, Alex Ross has established himself as one of the all time great, iconic, and definitive artists when it comes to Superman. Ross' paintings capture the awe, the majesty, the iconography of Superman better than anyone, and in this oversized graphic novel, the beautiful artwork of Alex Ross is combined with the simple, breezy words of Batman: Animated Series wunderkind Paul Dini to make for an elegant read that basically sums up what Superman is all about. No big fights, no supervillains - just a message of peace and hope and the most stunning Superman artwork one could ask for.
10. Superman: The Fall of Metropolis - (writers: Dan Jurgens, Karl Kessel, Roger Stern, artists: Jurgens, Ordway, Grummett, Guice, etc) - I'm not sure how others feel about this one, but this was probably the first big event story after Death and Return that I felt really lived up to the hype, and was kind of the climactic moment for the "Triangle" era of the 90's, during which all four Superman comics were linked weekly by a numbering system, so that stories continued week to week. Basically, this was the ultimate battle between Superman and Lex Luthor - Lex's tight control of his public image began to slip away, and Lex slowly became exposed to the public for the criminal and fraud that he was. So with nothing left to lose, with his health slipping and loyalists deserting him, - Lex, a beaten man, says to hell with dignity and vows to take down Metropolis with him. An epic story that was really well done, this was one of the most fun Superman vs. Lex Luthor stories that I can remember reading.
9. Superman: Panic in the Sky - (writers: Roger Stern, Dan Jurgens, etc, artists: Jurgens, Grummet, etc.) Just as Fall of Metropolis was the big Superman vs. Luthor story of the 80's / 90's, this was the big Superman as general-in-a-cosmic-war storyline of the same period. This story was just a hell of a lot of fun. It's Superman leading an army of heroes against an invading alien armada, led by one of Superman's greatest foes - Braniac (currently featured on SMALLVILLE). There are unlikely alliances (Deathstroke?), moments of heroism, of tragedy, and plenty of high adventure. Great artwork as well, with Tom Grummet and Dan Jurgens doing lots of great group scenes. While this doesn't have the sophisitication of more modern comic book stories, it has that classic feel that you just don't see anymore.
8. Superman: For The Man Who Has Everything - (writer: Alan Moore, artist: Dave Gibbons) - What happens when you take the creative team behind Watchmen and have them do a Superman story? Duh, you get one of the best Superman stories ever, of course. Recently adapted into the Justice League cartoon, this self-contained story has intergalactic despot Mongul inflicting the ultimate pain on Superman - showing him, through a hallucinegenic plant, the life he COULD have had. A life on a Krypton that never blew up- normal, happy, carefree, in love, with family. And when Superman wakes up, and realizes that he just lived out a life that could never be, well, let's just say he is PISSED. A classic story and one of the best ever.
7. Superman: Secret Identity - (writer: Kurt Busiek, artist: Stuart Immonen) - Another Elseworlds story, this is another somewhat dark, realistic take on the Superman mythos. Acclaimed writer Kurt Busiek asks: "What if, in OUR world, the REAL world, someone who happened to be named Clark Kent somehow developed all the powers and abilities of the comic book hero Superman? What would happen? How would his parents, friends, the government REALLY react?" Now the realistic take on Superman is cool, but what makes this story great is that Busiek gets inside the head of this version of Clark Kent and really makes him come alive. We follow Clark from his childhood, to young adulthood, to middle age, and more than anything this is a story about growing up and living life as much as it is a story about Superman. This stroy is poignant and unpredictable, and the art by Immonen is realistic, graceful, and some of his best ever.
6. The Death and Return of Superman Saga - (by Dan Jurgens, Roger Stern, Karl Kessell, Tom Grummett, Louise Simonson, etc.) - Well, this story has its detractors, and sure, when read by a discerning adult it has some obvious flaws. But to me as an eleven year old reading this, alongside Batman: Knightfall, in 1992 and 1993 -- wow, this was IT. This was the story that got me into comics. This was the story that got me looking everywhere, anywhere, for the next issue - often scouring the bookstores of CT for the next chapter of this epic saga in the absence of real comic stores in my area. First there was the Death -- the sudden coming of Doomsday and the epic fight to end all fights as Doomsday took out the entire Justice League, with only Superman left to stop him. Superman made his final stand in Metropolis, and as Jimmy, Lois, and the world watched, Superman defeated Doomsday with his last breath, giving his very life saving the world. The story had larger than life art by Dan Jurgens, perhaps the definitive Superman artist of the 90's, with each new issue of the story having less panels per page, until the infamous Death issue, Superman 75, was comprised solely of full-page panels that depicted Superman's chilling final moments. And now, sure, it was naive to think that DC would really kill off Superman forever, but the eleven year olds across the world sure thought that our hero was a goner. We read the following Funeral For a Friend storyline, saw the other heroes mourn their greatest champion, saw the continued machinations of Lex Luthor, and finally, the emergence of Four would-be Supermen - Steel, the Cyborg, Superboy, and the Eradicator - each claiming to be the real-deal Man of Steel. But the real highlight, storywise, was the Return - aka Reign of the Supermen. It was good vs. evil, new characters, old characters, mystery, action, all told weekly, WEEKLY, on a grand stage. And all the time wondering if, when, the legit Man of Tommorow would return. This is the stuff that makes boys into fanboys, that creates fans of the Superman. Say what you will, but this story was the bomb.
5. Superman: For All Seasons - (writer: Jeph Loeb, artist: Tim Sale) - While the pair of Loeb and Sale are hailed mostly for their work on Batman, they also teamed up to create on of the great Superman stories -- For All Seasons. The story takes a look at Clark Kent, growing up in Smallville and venturing out to Metropolis, expanding on John Bryne's Man of Steel in the same way Long Halloween expanded on the world of Frank Miller's Batman: Year One. Loeb takes us inside the heads of Clark, Lana Lang, the Kents, and even Lex Luthor - giving us a Superman origin story that is more about character than most Superman stories we've seen. Tim Sale's art is lush, pastoral, vivid, stylized. Odd at times, but ultimately effective at bringing Loeb's story to life. This is the best aspects of TV's Smallville combined with the classic elements of Man of Steal - and a great look not so much at Superman, but at Clark Kent.
4. Superman: The Man of Steel (by John Bryne) - This is the definitive origin story of Superman, and the story that revitalized Superman creatively in the mid-1980's and set the tone for all Superman stories to follow TO THIS DAY. In a way, though the tale itself is good, its almost more signifigant for WHAT it accomplishes rather than HOW. It makes Superman a viable, modern character - it makes Clark Kent a rounded individual, a personality that is the reality of Superman, the real person behind the costume, and not the other way around. We have Clark's adoptive parents, the Kents, still alive and playing a prominent role in their son's development, making him human even if his origins are extraterrestrial. We have Clark as a teen struggling over how to use his powers - does he tell his childhood sweetheart Lana Lang? Does he go out for football? As the story progresses, Lois Lane enters the picture - a snappy, independent, modern woman, a star reporter and a match for any man, not merely a damsel in distress. And most of all, Lex Luthor. No longer is Luthor a simple mad scientist or cartoonish supervillain. From this point forward, Luthor was a modern form of evil - a businessman, CEO of LexCorp. Bryne reinvented Lex Luthor as someone whose evil was hidden and covert, who was above the law, who resented Superman because he overshadowed Lex's rightful place as Metropolis' favorite son. Bryne totally changed the Superman - Luthor dynamic, updating the mythos for the modern day in a manner that was so well thought out that it holds up to this day. Even the Superman-Batman relationship was redefined here, with the two as reluctant allies with similar goals but opposing methods, no longer the super-chums of old. While others have attempted to re-redefine Superman over the years, see (Mark Waid's contrived modern take on the origin story, Superman: Birthright), Bryne's story endures because it got things right, fixing some of the key elements of the Superman legend and essentially setting the stage for a new era of stories. (Sidenote: Also highly recommended are the subsequent John Bryne Superman stories, collected in the Man of Steel series of paperbacks, that have a number of great stories from Bryne's mid-80's relaunch of the core Superman titles, where his new take on Superman, his vilalins, and his supporting cast is further explored.). It's too bad that even as Lois and Clark, Smallville, and the animated series have borrowed from Bryne and his successors, Bryan Singer and co seem to still be living in the pre-Man of Steel era.
3. Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tommorow (writer: Alan Moore, artists: Curt Swan and George Perez) - Knowing that John Bryne was set to reboot the Superman titles following the DC universe-shaking Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1986, legendaey editor Julius Schwartz decided to say goodbye to the Superman continuity that had existed since Action Comics #1 in 1938 with a huge, "farewell" story to the classic version of Superman. When you have the best comics writer ever, Alan Moore, teamed with perhaps the definitive Sperman artist of all time, Curt Swan, along with then-up-and-comer (and now legendary in his own right) George Perez ... well, you know you're in for something special. This two-part story is a giant tribute to al lthe great Superman stories of the past, with a slightly darker undertone indicating the modern era that Superman was about to enter. In any case, there is certainly an air of finality to it - this really is the "last" Superman story before the cosmic reset button was hit, and Alan Moore goes out with a bang. Superman is attacked by man of his old enemies, once his secret ID is exposed to the world. Barricaded in his arctic Fortress with Lois and other loved ones, Superman fights a desperate battle against Luthor, Braniac, and the deadly Krypton Man. The surprise ending is a classic, but a fitting end to decades worth of stories. Then again, as was said about this story - "It's an imaginary story, but then again, aren't they all?" A classic.
2. Superman: What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way? (writer: Joe Kelly, artist: Doug Mahnke) - It's funny, this single issue Superman tale, from Action Comics 775 from a few years's back, really came out of nowhere. Joe Kelly was a good writer, sure, but he is incredibly hit and miss. He often goes for huge concepts and seems to have more going on in his head than he can coherantly fit onto the page. His stories are often confusing to the point of frustration, complex to the point of ridiculousness, and often unsatisfying in conclusion. But man, when he hits it out of the park, he REALLY hits it out of the park. With this story, Kelly did what few others have been able to do -- he showed why Superman is relevant TODAY, in the post 9/11 era, in a world where the very idea of Truth, Justice, and the American Way seems outdated and anachronistic - of an earlier, more naive, more innocent time. In a flash of brilliance, Kelly creates a great setup - a new team of anti-heroes, The Elite, is on a rampage, stopping crimes with violent aplomb and disregard for their means. Superman confronts the Elite, led by their charismatic leader, Manchester Black, and is drawn into a battle that he cannot hope to win. But what starts off as a fight of strength soon becomes a battle of ideals, and with the world watching, Superman dismatles and humiliates the Elite, and does it HIS way, showing that no, there isn't anything funny about Superman or what he represents. When I first read this story, I was totally surprised and blown away - where did this come from? Wow. And quickly, word spread, that this right here was maybe the most important Superman comic book of our time. In the wake of 9/11, many Superman stories tried to inspire patriotism, but few were really effective, as Superman at the time was caught up in a largely pointless crossover story called Our Worlds At War that coincidentally mirrored 9/11 but also existed in a comic book fantasy-world vaccuum. What Joe Kelly did here, backed up by the raw, gritty art of Doug Mahnke, was to write an utterly kickass Superman story that is also the definitive reason and justification for why, exactly, this character persists into the new millenium, which is a pretty damn remarkable feat.
1. Kingdom Come - (writer: Mark Waid / Alex Ross, artist: Alex Ross). Sure, this isn't strictly a Superman story. It's another "Elseworlds" story that deal with a future, dystopian vision of the DC Universe. But when I think about the most powerful images of Superman that I've ever seen, the ones that made me stand up and cheer, that gave me chills, that made me love Superman - a good number of them can be found here, in this modern-day masterpiece, not only one of the best Superman stories ever told, but one of the best comic stories, in the tradition of Watchmen and the Dark Knight Returns. For the uninitiated, Kingdom Come is a four-part series featuring stunning painted art by Alex Ross, that looks at a DC Universe where all the old heroes - Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, have retired or otherwise hidden themselves fro mthe public eye. In their place, a new generation of heroes emerges - heroes who don't adhere to the old ideals od justice or morality - heroes who are barely distinguishable from the villains they fight. When the leader of these new heroes, Magog, carelessly leads his troops into a fight that triggers a nuclear explosion in Kansas, a retired Superman must reemerge to show the young 'uns how it's done. But the world that Clark Kent returns to is a far cry from the world of heores that he left. You want to talk about Superman Returns? Never have I seen a more awes-inspiring depiction of Superman than his dramatic return at the end of Kingdom Come's opening chapter. A streak of yellow and red and blue in the sky, a woosh of air - a bird, a plane? No, as you turn the page the striking work of Alex Ross hits you right between the eyes. Superman is BACK - greying hair, lines under the eyes, yes, but man, the Man is back, and the black and red "S' on his chest indicates that he means business. I don't want to spoil the twists and turns of Kingdom Come for those who haven't read it, but it is another example of Superman at his best. This story, the story that put Alex Ross in the map, is pure magic from start to finish - the most powerful and epic and awe-inspiring depiction of Superman ever put to screen or page.
Alright - whew, that was quite a list. Hope you liked it. Back with more soon - until next time.
Friday, June 02, 2006
There's the easy way, and the Max Power way!
Wow, what a crazy week it's been. Unfortunately, I can't go into too many details right now about why. Suffice to say, I may soon be back on the job search. So if anyone reading this knows of openings to be a PA, writer's assistant, or development assistant let me know!
Thank god it's the weekend. Even with a short week this week, with all the chaos it felt like it was never going to end.
Luckily I did have some time this week to do some reading, relax, and have fun after work. Last night for example, it was a reunion of the old-school NBC pages as Brian, Diane, Adriana and I hit up old town in Pasadena to say farewell to Adriana before she embarks on a summer-long semester in Hong Kong. That should be a pretty interesting experience and I look forward to hearing of her adventures. But old town is seriously great, maybe my new favorite area in LA that's actually within a reasonable distance of where I live. It's brimming with shops, restaurants, and people, and has a great feel to it.
The thing is that now, as I think about the job search, I just am not even sure what direction I want to go in. I think that I, like a lot of my friends out here, although probably me more so than some others, am desperate to get into the creative end of things here in the ol' entertainment biz. But how, exactly, does one do that? Even now, armed with a much better understanding of how this business works as compared to when I first came out to CA, the path to become a writer is still not all that clear to me. I have a general vision, sure. But the people I talk to seem to be in two camps. There's the "practical camp," first of all. These are people who work in the business and have probably not done much creatively. They will tell you that the key is keep moving up the corporate ladder and getting to a position at which you can leverage your contacts into a writing job. Sounds good, but how many ACTUAL cases have you heard about where a corporate guy (I'm talking corporate for a solid chunk of years here) goes on to become a creative guy? From what I can figure, these instances are few and far between. But the "creatice camp" is not really much better. I'm referring to all these articles you read and whatnot where creative people besically offer sage advice like "keep writing," and "write every day." Typical of many creative people, their advice is often short on practicality. Yes, writing every day is a good writing habit to have. But how does that help you become an EMPLOYED TV writer? The reality is that from what I can gather it's equal parts a.) having the actual writing to back up your desire to write, b.) making the right connections (or having them due to being a priveleged, as so many in Hollywood seem to), and c.) basically managing to be at the right place at the right time.
But the roadblocks are many. You have to avoid getting sucked into a longterm corporate rut of assistant jobs. Nobody wants to become a professional assistant, but that's what happens a lot out here, so it seems. And, you have to actually do the writing, which is tough when your soul is being slowly sucked out by one of the aforementioned corporate jobs and you come home at 7 pm wanting nothing more than to collapse on your bed and watch Simpsons reruns or something.
In the last few weeks, a few former NBC Pages have gotten hired to work as assistants on some very cool shows, and I think that is a great path to getting into the creative end of things. Now if only an opportunity like that could come my way. My ideal would be to be a part of a dynamic and quality show that had a feel similar to when I was at Conan - to feel like you were a part of a team that was doing great, funny, creative, cool stuff. Man, how great would it be to work on a show like The Simpsons or Lost or Veronica Mars or 24 or Family Guy or The Office? I wish I had some connections on those shows!!!
And then there's that connections aspect. Connections are hard to come by, especially when you work in an office located in a giant, empty floor with no one else on it. And I'm sick of sitting around and not being proactive. Like on MySpace, right now, there's a contest sponsored by F/X. Submit a 5 minute digital video that presents an idea for a sitcom pilot, and within a week find out if you're a winner. I know, chances of winning probably zero. But come on. Where are all the people out there who want to make this happen. It's 5 minutes! I have plenty of ideas. I need a camera, some actors, and some people willing to spend a little time doing something fun and creative. Am I the only one not content to be sitting in an office all day staring at a computer? I thinks not!
And that's my rant for now. This next week is going to be really interesting. I may have no job, I may be running the show here. Who knows. But I think that either way, the next step is coming.
Thank god it's the weekend. Even with a short week this week, with all the chaos it felt like it was never going to end.
Luckily I did have some time this week to do some reading, relax, and have fun after work. Last night for example, it was a reunion of the old-school NBC pages as Brian, Diane, Adriana and I hit up old town in Pasadena to say farewell to Adriana before she embarks on a summer-long semester in Hong Kong. That should be a pretty interesting experience and I look forward to hearing of her adventures. But old town is seriously great, maybe my new favorite area in LA that's actually within a reasonable distance of where I live. It's brimming with shops, restaurants, and people, and has a great feel to it.
The thing is that now, as I think about the job search, I just am not even sure what direction I want to go in. I think that I, like a lot of my friends out here, although probably me more so than some others, am desperate to get into the creative end of things here in the ol' entertainment biz. But how, exactly, does one do that? Even now, armed with a much better understanding of how this business works as compared to when I first came out to CA, the path to become a writer is still not all that clear to me. I have a general vision, sure. But the people I talk to seem to be in two camps. There's the "practical camp," first of all. These are people who work in the business and have probably not done much creatively. They will tell you that the key is keep moving up the corporate ladder and getting to a position at which you can leverage your contacts into a writing job. Sounds good, but how many ACTUAL cases have you heard about where a corporate guy (I'm talking corporate for a solid chunk of years here) goes on to become a creative guy? From what I can figure, these instances are few and far between. But the "creatice camp" is not really much better. I'm referring to all these articles you read and whatnot where creative people besically offer sage advice like "keep writing," and "write every day." Typical of many creative people, their advice is often short on practicality. Yes, writing every day is a good writing habit to have. But how does that help you become an EMPLOYED TV writer? The reality is that from what I can gather it's equal parts a.) having the actual writing to back up your desire to write, b.) making the right connections (or having them due to being a priveleged, as so many in Hollywood seem to), and c.) basically managing to be at the right place at the right time.
But the roadblocks are many. You have to avoid getting sucked into a longterm corporate rut of assistant jobs. Nobody wants to become a professional assistant, but that's what happens a lot out here, so it seems. And, you have to actually do the writing, which is tough when your soul is being slowly sucked out by one of the aforementioned corporate jobs and you come home at 7 pm wanting nothing more than to collapse on your bed and watch Simpsons reruns or something.
In the last few weeks, a few former NBC Pages have gotten hired to work as assistants on some very cool shows, and I think that is a great path to getting into the creative end of things. Now if only an opportunity like that could come my way. My ideal would be to be a part of a dynamic and quality show that had a feel similar to when I was at Conan - to feel like you were a part of a team that was doing great, funny, creative, cool stuff. Man, how great would it be to work on a show like The Simpsons or Lost or Veronica Mars or 24 or Family Guy or The Office? I wish I had some connections on those shows!!!
And then there's that connections aspect. Connections are hard to come by, especially when you work in an office located in a giant, empty floor with no one else on it. And I'm sick of sitting around and not being proactive. Like on MySpace, right now, there's a contest sponsored by F/X. Submit a 5 minute digital video that presents an idea for a sitcom pilot, and within a week find out if you're a winner. I know, chances of winning probably zero. But come on. Where are all the people out there who want to make this happen. It's 5 minutes! I have plenty of ideas. I need a camera, some actors, and some people willing to spend a little time doing something fun and creative. Am I the only one not content to be sitting in an office all day staring at a computer? I thinks not!
And that's my rant for now. This next week is going to be really interesting. I may have no job, I may be running the show here. Who knows. But I think that either way, the next step is coming.
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