Your Friendly, Neighborhood Spider-Man 3 Review

Spider-Man 3 has an excellent beginning and ending. What it is in dire need of is a good middle.

Let's face it. Each Spider-Man film has only been as good as its villain. In the first installment, we had the excellent Willem Dafoe. In the undoubtedly superior sequel, we had Alfred Molina. This time around, we have two main villains, and neither really seem to be given the time or character development that was graciously bestowed onto the last two antagonists of the series. Thomas Haden Church does a great job with what little he is given to work with, while Topher Grace seems to be out of place in this movie, playing a overtly stereotypical bad guy in a series that's been heralded for avoiding stereotypes.

What makes this even more frustrating is the fact that instead of focusing on fleshing out these characters, Sam Raimi and company spend a large amount of time on a hokey montage, showing Tobey Maguire dancing like an idiot down a New York City street (apparently, that black goo that gets on him at the start of the movie makes him dress like an emo kid and act like Will Ferrell's character from Night at the Roxbury). The Spider-Man franchise has always had its share of goofiness (the ever-popular Bruce Campbell cameos are proof of this), but it should not detract from the overall thrust of the story. In fact, so much of the film focuses on Peter Parker sabotaging his relationship with Mary Jane, you almost forget you're watching a superhero movie.

At least the special effects are impressive. The visuals employed for the Sandman are top-notch, while the horrific look of Venom ranks as one of the best creature designs this series has yet produced. As always, the supporting cast is wonderful, with Rosemary Harris (Aunt Mae) and J.K. Simmons (Daily Bugle editor J. J. Jameson) delivering another great set of performances. Newcomer Bryce Dallas Howard, as Parker's newest love interest, does alright, though it's nothing special.

With Spider-Man 3, the franchise proves its on its last legs, and while the film itself is not unwatchable (despite it's shortcomings, it's quite entertaining), it does not bode well for future installments.

UPDATE: Screenwriter John August has posted an article dissecting Spider-Man 3 on his blog, and I totally agree with him. The film is chock full of coincidences, a lot of them wholly unnecessary. He also reminded me of something I forgot to mention in this review. Why bother casting the wonderful actor James Cromwell in your movie if you're only going to have him give a few lines of expository dialogue, and as a police chief no less? I mean, seriously: How many times has James Cromwell played some form of law enforcement official? (According to IMDb, at least ten.)

Your Ill-Informed Guide to Summer Movies

It's been a while since I've done a good, ol' fashioned blog post, and after reading the latest issue of Wilmington's alternative newspaper, Encore, I feel I must write something. This issue's feature, "On the Heels of Blockbuster Season," breaks down this summer's biggest flicks and lets you know which ones are worth seeing. Well, I'm going to one-up them by breaking down the same movies and giving equal space to why they are going to be awesome, as well as why they might suck. Let's begin:

Spider-Man 3 (May 4)
Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace; dir. Sam Raimi

Why It's Awesome: Raimi's first Spider-Man film blew expectations out of the water and became one of the most successful superhero films since the first X-Men movie, while Spider-Man 2 proved to be a superior sequel, with critics lauding it as the best superhero film since the original Superman. Now, Raimi is back with his multi-million dollar third episode. Familiar faces are back, including the always wonderful supporting cast of Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, and another funny cameo by Bruce Campbell, and this time, they are joined by the talented Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, and Bryce Dallas Howard. Did I mention Venom is in this one?

Why It Could Suck: The relationship between Maguire and Dunst has been believable, but the dialogue between the two has always been borderline sappy and contrived. Luckily, there's plenty of action and suspense to overshadow the script's relatively small amount of weaknesses, but with this third episode carrying a running time longer than both previous films (140 min.), the thrills may start wearing thin.

28 Weeks Later (May 11)
Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Lopez-Lavigne, Rowan Joffe; dir. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (yeah, I've never heard of any of these people, either)

Why It's Awesome: Danny Boyle has always been good at hopping from genre to genre, and his digitally-shot zombie flick, 28 Days Later, was not only one of the best horror films of the year, it also made audiences realize that Britain was a viable producer of bona-fide scares, a fact confirmed by the appearance of the comedy/horror flick Shaun of the Dead two years later. For the sequel, Boyle is executive producer, and relative newcomer Juan Carlos Fresnadillo is filling the director's chair. A British movie with a Spanish filmmaker? Hey, it worked for Children of Men.

Why It Could Suck: The territory 28 Weeks Later covers may end up being all too familiar, i.e. boring. If there's one thing zombie franchises find harder to do is maintain an element of surprise. Since the storyline seemed to have already been spelt out for us in the trailer, the movie's gonna have to have well-written dialogue and engaging characters to hold our interest, something most horror sequels sadly lack.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (May 25)
Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Chow Yun-Fat, Geoffrey Rush; dir. Gore Verbinski

Why It's Awesome: Last year's Dead Man's Chest was a breathtaking action picture, one truly worthy of the word "epic." Amazing visuals, engaging characters (including Bill Nighy as Davy Jones, a sort of real-life Squidward), and genuinely interesting dialogue helped make this seemingly unnecessary sequel essential viewing for anyone looking for a great popcorn movie. The final episode of the trilogy promises to be more of the same, with everyone's favorite bad guy Geoffrey Rush back from the dead (how convenient!), along with the addition of Chow Yun-Fat and the obligatory cast of thousands. Did I mention Johnny Depp?

Why It Could Suck: Let's face it. History has not been kind to the third part of a movie trilogy. You only need to say Matrix Revolutions or Return of the Jedi to know that studios don't always save the best for last. Plus, there were so many unresolved conflicts in Dead Man's Chest that Verbinski will have to use at least two hours of the film to resolve 'em all. Plus, with Mr. Rush and Mr. Yun-Fat on board, that means there'll be even MORE subplots!

-------------------------------------------
To tell you the truth, I'm going to go ahead and stop there. The reason is because, as always, The Onion beat me to the punch, and delivered their much-funnier Summer Movie Preview 2007. C'est la vie.

kiva.org: A worthy cause

So, even though my sidebar states that this is an ad-free blog, I feel it is important to plug this one service, namely Kiva.org. You see, my family and I loan money to over 10 different entreprenuers in many different parts of the globe. We do it through Kiva, which acts as a middleman, connecting residents of third-world companies trying to start up businesses with people willing to support a charitable cause. This is a great way to give to people who are really in need, but also a great way to see exactly where your money goes. For more information, check out this New York Times video all about Kiva and their services.

New ATHF:MFFT TV Spots

Some really funny TV spots for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie, including some really bad CGI, a golden egg, and a squirrel dry-humping a streetlight.

Plus, you get to see Carl riff on Grindhouse.

New Grizzly Bear Sessions at Daytrotter

Daytrotter continues their impressive series of in-studio sessions with a trio of revamped tunes by Hall of Awesome inductees Grizzly Bear. Among the offerings are a sparse, yet powerful, cover of the controversial Crystals tune "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Hit)," along with a drastically reworked version of Yellow House centerpiece "Little Brother." Get 'em while the gettin's good.

Need more sweet Daytrotter sessions? Try the archives where you'll find, among other things, sessions by Dr. Dog, My Brightest Diamond, The Elected, Mates of State, Of Montreal, Cold War Kids, Maritime, Sunset Rubdown, Harry and the Potters, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.

Something Happening in Haiti

This is the funniest video to come out of the newly-created Onion News Network so far:


Breaking News: Something Happening In Haiti

Human Giant Trailer

There is finally a reason to watch MTV again...

See more at thehumangiant.com or just watch the show this Thursday. If you can't wait, you can download the series premiere for free on iTunes!

300 Parody Trailer (PG Version)

After seeing 300 last week, half of my brain wanted to like it because it was incredible visually and had some of the most impressive set designs and fight sequences ever filmed. The other half of my brain wanted to laugh so hard at the terribly forced overacting, the ridiculous plot devices (I'm glad they waited 'till the last minute to reveal the giant hole that Persian messenger was about to be kicked into. If they had shown it in an earlier scene, people might've started saying "I wonder what that's for?"), and the totally unneccessary heavy metal soundtrack. Seriously, it felt like I was watching some YouTube "fan trailer" for the film when that crappy guitar riff started up.

Anyway, I'm thankful someone heard my cries for justice and created this hilarious "PG version" of the 300 trailer. I'll be shouting "This...is CAKE TOWN!" for many months to come, I can guarantee you.

Zodiac: Awesome?

I've seen it twice already, and I'm about ready to state that David Fincher's Zodiac will probably become one of the best films of 2007. Now, I know what you're thinking. "Devin, it's far to early to be saying stuff like that" And who knows? Maybe Wes Anderson will finally put out a new movie this year. Maybe P.T. Anderson (the other white Anderson) will finally get his "Daniel Day-Lewis as an oil tycoon" picture off the ground. Maybe Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez' new project Grindhouse will be f*ckin' awesome (it will be).

But for now, Zodiac reigns. Everything about the film is stellar. Excellent performances by Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr. Gripping script with really innovative dialogue and sequencing. Awesome music. And such an amazing attention to detail. Every setpiece is precise, every time period is accurately represented. Fincher even throws in an old school 70's "Paramount Pictures" logo at the start of the film.

In addition to the look of the film, Fincher obsesses over the information that is shown on the screen. Countless title cards flash throughout the film, giving us the exact date and place (and often the exact time) of the events that unfold. 911 calls are repeated verbatim from the original police transcripts. Evidence, newspaper clippings, television news segments. Every aspect of this bizarre case is pored over and, like Gyllenhaal's character (who is the author of the Zodiac books on which this film is based), the audience becomes obsessed with finding the truth.

But the truth is quite hard to obtain, and unfortunately, the police (and Graysmith) never seem to reach any concrete conclusions. The film seems to reflect this, as the nameless, faceless Zodiac killer is portrayed throughout the film by no less than three different actors, each picked because they were the actors who closely matched the description by eyewitnesses and survivors of each of the murders.

Now, please don't think I'm giving anything away by revealing this innovative choice of casting. It only adds to the ominous nature of the killer, and of the film itself. Trust me; no other movie in theaters is worth your time (all two-and-a-half hours of it) and your money to go see. And that's a fact.

Decemberists' Announce "O Valencia!" Video Winner

It seems like forever since the Decemberists' had started their contest in which fans were asked to make a video for their song "O Valencia!" using the green screen footage the band provided. In fact, the contest slowly faded into obscurity after pseudo-pundit Stephen Colbert accused the group of stealing his "Green Screen Challenge" idea and challenged them to a guitar-off.

Still, a winner has to be announced, and here it is! I must say I was very impressed with the outcome. The director, Kurt Nishimura, didn't do the standard "stick the people in front of a weird background" move. Instead, he created an entirely new storyline with new characters, and simply made the Decemberists' footage part of the TV screens that occupy the video. It's a bold move that ultimately paid off, as the video is suprisingly original and entertaining, almost like the Decemberists made this video themselves.

Robot Chicken vs. Calvin and Hobbes

I don't know what to think about this recent segment from Robot Chicken that parodies the ever-popular "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip. Parts of it are pretty clever, but it strays so far away from the original concept of the strip that most of the cartoon comes off as more disturbing than funny. I'm sure if Bill Watterson knew about this, he'd be making a few calls to Turner Broadcasting. And I bet Bill is a lot harder to pay off than the city of Boston.

UPDATE: The YouTube link is dead, so I switched it to the link to Adult Swim's website.

New Pes - "Game Over"

How does Pes do it? Check out his latest piece of eye-candy, "Game Over":



A better quality QuickTime version can be found at his site, along with a ton of other awesome videos. I highly recommend Ka-Boom!, Roof Sex (not what you think), and his commercials. You've probably already seen his Bicardi and Coinstar spots. His "Making Of" featuretts are really interesting, too.

Bee Movie Teaser

Even if the resulting film is total crap, the trailers are some of the funniest, most original ever made. And they don't even have anything to do with the movie.

Here's the second (and newest) teaser, featuring Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Izzard, and Steven Spielberg:


For you late-comers, here's the first trailer, featuring Seinfeld and Chris Rock.

Get Off Your [as]

Bored out of your mind? You must be; you're reading this blog. But now that [adult swim] has finally made their streaming video service The Adult Swim Fix Mac-compatible, it's time for me to tell you what you ought to be looking at on a website that is not my own. Let's have a looksee:

Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: "Sebben and Sebben Employee Orientation"

One of the newest episodes of Birdman, this episode plays out like an old 16mm film showcasing the benefits of employment at the law firm of Phil Ken Sebben (voiced by Stephen Colbert). Listen for special guest Lewis Black as an irate office supplies manager.

The Brak Show: "Brak Street"

The famous "rap episode" of the short-lived Brak Show, featuring Cee-Lo, the singing half of Gnarls Barkley, as Prime Cut. Also, keep an eye out for a certain glob of meat on a scooter.

Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job: "Cats"

Despite the show's somewhat disappointing pilot episode, Tim and Eric might have finally found their footing in this insane, yet witty and provocative third episode, featuring special guest appearances by Michael Cera ("George Michael" from Arrested Development), comedian Zach Galifianakis, and Paul "Pee-Wee" Reubens. While the individual bits are pretty good, the running gag involving Tim transforming into a cat are brilliant.

The Venture Bros.: "The Trial of the Monarch"

Finally, what block of [as] content wouldn't be complete without a priceless episode of Venture Bros? This one, from the end of the first season, chronicles the Monarch's fall from grace as he is arrested for disturbing the peace in front of Dr. Girlfriend's house...I mean, Dr. EX-Girlfriend! Worth watching almost entirely because of the opening sequence. MECHA-SHIVA!

Your Daily Monster

I wish I had found this website sooner. Yewknee pointed me in the direction of Daily Monster, a really cool site run by artist Stefan G. Bucher. The deal is he draws a different monster every day for 100 days, and asks readers to post a story about the monster. Most of the creatures exhibit similar features, but it is still fun to see him draw a new one each day. Unfortunately, I've got some catching up to do. He's already at Monster No. 94 (featured above).

New OK Go Video - "Do What You Want"

Thanks, Stereogum, for the heads up. While it's no treadmill video, OK Go's new video for "Do What You Want," the second time they've made a video for this song, is pretty cool-looking. Somewhat unoriginal idea, but good execution. The backflip on the pogo stick is a definite highlight. See it at MTV.com (don't worry, it works for Macs now).

New Chris Rock Trailer

Chris Rock will be making his return to the big screen with his new film I Think I Love My Wife, directed by himself and featuring a script he collaborated on with comedian extraordinaire Louis C.K., loosely based on the French film Chloe in the Afternoon. If the trailer is any indication, it looks very promising, if not a tad reminiscent of the films of Spike Lee.

Live Action on [adult swim]?

The verdict on Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job is...unimpressive. While I did enjoy the seemingly off-the-cuff nature of the show, there didn't seem to be much in the way of content. The episodes best segments, "Hacky Sack Extreme" and "B'Owl," had already been played ad nauseum on adultswim.com, and the "B'Owl" bit didn't even feature Tim or Eric. Which leads me to my next problem with the show. While Bob Odenkirk did make a funny guest appearance, having John C. Reilly, a truly wonderful actor, appear but not do anything funny seemed like a waste of time and talent. It did seem like he would be making more appearances on the show, so hopefully, next time around, they'll give him more to do.

Surprisingly, I found much more to like on the second all-live-action [adult swim] show, Saul of the Mole Men. A witty premise, intentionally bad special effects, imaginative costumes, and an awesome theme song helped propel the show above its seemingly unoriginal concept. Sid and Marty Krofft parodies have been done many times, the best being "Drugachusetts", by the aforementioned Bob Odenkirk and David Cross.

Still, neither show has yet to reach the level of humor and innovation of previous AS hits, like The Venture Bros., Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, and the show recently voted Most Likely to Cause a Bomb Scare in Boston, Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Does live action have a place on [adult swim] or should it be cartoons only?

"Heck No! (I'll Never Listen to Techno)"

Regardless of whether or not the robots win, I'll still be listening to techno. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this impressive Lite Brite animation by Ryan Divine for the band Maldroid:



For another example of Lite Brite goodness, check out Rilo Kiley's video for "It's a Hit"

Andrew Bird...for Kids!

Yesterday, Stereogum showed me just about the best thing ever. It's seems one Andrew Bird, the violin-playing virtuoso, made a recent appearance on a little-known (at least to me) children's television program called Jack's Big Music Show, another one of those "interactive" shows a la Blue's Clues, but with a slant towards music-making and suprise musical guests. Previous episodes have included musical performances by The Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players, blues guitarist Buddy Guy, and Steve Burns & Steven Drozd, the former host of the aforementioned Blue's Clues and the guitarist for The Flaming Lips, respectively. (If you watch the clip, you'll also catch a certain "fake news anchor" making a cameo appearance.)

Anyway, the Bird dropped by as the character "Dr. Stringz," and all I can say is I wish the TV shows I watched when I was a kid were as cool as this...