Month: May 2007

…go see “Hot Fuzz,” the newest film from the creators of “Shawn of the Dead.”

An absolutely brilliant send-up of police action films, it tells the tale of Nick Angel (Simon Pegg of “Shawn”) who’s a hyperefficient London supercop reassigned to the British countryside because he’s making everyone else on the force look bad in comparison. In the sleepy town of Sanford where there hasn’t been a violent crime in twenty years, it’s figured that Angel will be nicely tucked away. But when the bodies start piling up in a series of increasingly unlikely “accidents,” Angel is drawn into an involved conspiracy in a town where (in classic tradition) nothing is as it seems.

Much better film than SM3, honestly. Rated “R” for some explicit gore and profanity (mostly by people witnessing the gore.)

PAD

Holy crow. Where do I get the time?

Whad’ja think?

PAD

I’ve just GOT to get a t-shirt that says, “What the hëll is an aluminum falcon?!”

PAD

I had to pass on the Marvel screening Wednesday night because it conflicted with two bowling leagues of mine. So there I was doing a signing at Midtown Comics yesterday, along with fellow Spider-writer Roberto, and a fellow named Shane from Columbia pictures asked if I was interested in seeing a screening at 7 PM that evening.

Hëll yeah.

Did I like the film? Yup.

I didn’t quite like it as unabashedly as others, but when you’ve written the novelization of a screenplay, you can’t really enjoy the film the way other people do. For most viewers, the burning question is, “What’s going to happen?” Well, I knew pretty much what was going to happen, so I had instead my own sets of questions.

How were the ambitious action scenes going to play? Answer: Very well. The intercutting between live action and CGI has become nearly seamless; technically it’s light years ahead from the first film (which I have to admit remains my favorite.)

How were the scenes in the script that didn’t do jack to advance the plot going to impact on the film’s flow? Answer: Not at all, because they cut them all. (I was seated next to Heidi MacDonald and a friend of hers, Ken, and at one point Ken was muttering to me that the film was dragging. I muttered back, “Trust me: It could have been a lot worse.”)

How were the actors going to handle some of the dialogue that I felt was wince-worthy? Answer: Hit and miss. Some places provoked unwanted laughter from the audience. Other places worked very well, so kudos to them.

Since the script was a little fuzzy on it, how many times was Spidey going to lose his mask? Answer: I lost count. When it comes out on DVD you may want to turn it into a drinking game. If you really want to get hammered, you can toss down a shot whenever Venom loses his mask as well.

How in the world were they going to make the climax work, considering that some aspects were so filled with schmaltz that all it needed was Patrick Swayze to intone, “Nobody puts Spidey in a corner.” Answer: They changed it. Thank God, they changed it. I was really concerned that certain elements would have the audience cringing or howling. As it turned out, Sam Raimi or maybe a test audience or someone obviously shared my concerns because the filmed ending works much better.

Of couse, for those interested in seeing the original ending (with which I did the best I could; I think it actually works better in print than it would have on the screen) plus all the deleted scenes, it’s in the novelization. But see the movie first.

Have to say, for me, the acting standout in the film was Thomas Hayden Church’s Sandman. I wasn’t sure how it was going to play on screen, but as opposed to the somewhat over-the-top histrionics of the other “villains,” Church puts forward a perpetual sense of quiet desperation and even–believe it or not–dignity. Brilliant job, I thought.

PAD

The latest issue of “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” features a guest appearance by a real-life individual: Kelly Kulick, one of the country’s top female bowlers and Ariel’s favorite. Ariel wanted me to have Kelly show up in an issue of FNSM, and I obliged her, with Kelly’s cooperation (having met her at a Pro/Am a few months back.)

Well, by astounding serendipity, the issue came out today while Kelly was slated to bowl down in Charlotte, NC, in the USBC Queens Tournament. It was being broadcast live on ESPN2. Upon learning that she was down there, I contacted the heroic Shelton Drum of “Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find.” Shelton agreed to bring a few copies of the latest issue over to where Kelly was bowling at AMF Carolina Lanes. He met her, gave her the comics (and she offered him the opportunity to stay and watch, but it was new comics day so he had to get back to work.)

Kelly was so jazzed that she gave copies to the announcers, and fifty four minutes into the broadcast they suddenly started talking about Kelly’s appearance in the book, complete with showing the cover and pages of Todd’s art. Best of all, they mentioned it was Ariel’s idea, and Ariel was absolutely flying.

For those interested in seeing it, they’re rebroadcasting the competition Sunday, May 20 at 1 PM on ESPN. And thanks again to Shelton: Unfortunately they didn’t mention on air where the comic had come from, but he busted ášš to get the comic over there, so I figured I’d emphasize it here.

PAD

Back on April 4 I wrote:

“The essence of compromise boils down to five words: “What’s in it for me?”

So with Bush facing a congressional war-funding bill with deadlines attached–benchmarks that he himself mentioned earlier this year, and is now being asked to hew to–congress is hoping that he will compromise on withdrawal dates rather than veto the entire bill.

What’s in it for him to do so?

Nothing.”

And naturally he didn’t compromise. Which, of course, the Democrats should have seen coming (I mean, if I saw it coming, they should have been able to) and one would hope that a Plan B was in effect.

Well, it’s appearing…not so much.

Now it’s the Democrats who need to stay the course. The Democrats who need to dig in and say, “This or nothing.” Unfortunately, they don’t appear ready, willing or able to do that. There is concern that they will be accused of refusing to fund the troops in time of war.

Well…yeah. Obviously that’s going to be the spin. And the spin in response should be “Who’s more concerned about the troops, the Democrats or the White House? Obviously it’s the Democrats.” Unfortunately for the Democrats, the GOP spin machine is simply more efficient, and Bush more intransigent, than the Democratic leadership. They haven’t yet realized, apparently, that they’re dealing with a mindset that’s as uncompromising as any other extremist. You can’t compromise with extremists. Bush understands that because that’s what he himself is. The Democrats are approaching the issue with the mindset of rational people, which is why they’re in trouble.

We can’t announce a pull out date because we’d be giving information to our enemies? Well, maybe, but more relevant is that we’d be giving information to our supposed allies–the Iraqi government–telling them that the whole “they stand up so we can stand down” thing finally has a timeclock. By me, that’s a good thing.

PAD