How true to the spirit of the original should comic-book movies be, anyway? It would be hard to transfer Will Eisner's lighthearted, playful Spirit comics of the '40s and '50s directly to the screen nowadays; most directors would probably Schumacher it into a campy mess. A pre-Incredibles Brad Bird proposed an animated Spirit movie that might have been as close as can be. Ultimately, comics artist Frank Miller, who has praised Eisner's work for decades, chose The Spirit as his first solo film as director (after partnering with Robert Rodriguez for 2005's eye-popping, vacant Sin City), and he has hate-fucked his mentor's creation almost beyond all recognition.
The saddest thing about The Spirit is its lack of imagination. There's nothing here—from the cartoony visual effects right down to the Converse All-Stars on the hero's feet—that wasn't done, and better, in Sin City. Rather than being an aw-shucks, lantern-jawed hero, Gabriel Macht's Spirit is a womanizing hard-boiled tough guy who continually soliloquizes about how his city is his "sweetheart," his "plaything," his "love" and "wife." Unlike the comics, he is always talking.
Stranger Personals
And the movie is all talk, too. Samuel L. Jackson, whose Octopus is
the worst comic-book screen villain since Tommy Lee Jones'
kiddie-theater Two-Face in Batman Forever, can't shut up long
enough about his complicated relationship with eggs to get a good fight
scene in. The many actresses—Sarah Paulson, Scarlett Johansson,
and especially Eva Mendes—are beautiful and play the awful
clichéd script for all it's worth, but the movie desperately
needs someone who knows what he's doing behind the camera. The trailers
for this film look agonizingly bad. Battlefield Earth bad.
Leonard: Part Six bad. Sadly, The Spirit is not
that bad. It's just an uninteresting, mediocre mess by a willful
director who's in way over his head. 
1
Don't forget that Frank Miller is the guy who gave us Robocop 2. He may be a great comic book writer, and others may make great films of his comics... but HE does not make great films.
2
Samuel L. Jackson's Octopus cannot possibly be the worst comic book villain since Tommy Lee Jone's Two-Face, for the very simple reason that Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face was not nearly as bad as Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze in "Batman & Robin".
I would go so far as to say that Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face was the best part of "Batman Forever".
Of course, this is like trying to pick out the best part of being attacked by a pit-bull...
I would go so far as to say that Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face was the best part of "Batman Forever".
Of course, this is like trying to pick out the best part of being attacked by a pit-bull...
5
I don't even know why the Stranger does movie reviews.
You guys fuckin hate EVERYTHING!!! I mean, someone should do a tally on this shit. Collectively, you guys like about 8% of the films released each year.
Oh, but if it's about Horse-Fucking, it's a masterpiece.
You guys fuckin hate EVERYTHING!!! I mean, someone should do a tally on this shit. Collectively, you guys like about 8% of the films released each year.
Oh, but if it's about Horse-Fucking, it's a masterpiece.
7
Seriously, @The oldest..., I want you to watch this movie and tell me you think it's good. It's not a good movie.
And @ gustopher: I didn't expect anything more from Schwarzenegger. I expected more from Tommy Lee Jones than a capering clown. The disappointment is key here.
And @ gustopher: I didn't expect anything more from Schwarzenegger. I expected more from Tommy Lee Jones than a capering clown. The disappointment is key here.
8
Seriously I enjoyed this movie as did everyone else in the theater! The shear simplicity of it made it easier to follow and gave us the ability to laugh without missing some key point 2 seconds after a joke has been cracked. And if you did any research on the production and idea behind this film (as any good journalst or reviewer ought to) you would surely have read some-where that Frank Miller did not intend for this movie to be an action packed, seriouse and everyday crusade against evil such as they attempt to pull off in batman and spiderman ( I mean can you really say that any of these modern Super-Hero films are worth watching?) Anyways I think this review was completely unfair to the movie completly unfounded as you obviously had no idea of the intentions that the movie was brought to life on and because I'm tired of you old farts writing reveiws on films that do not target you for the audiance! Go review Benjamin Button and work on your 401k but leave these movies to us young adults and teens!
9
Seriously I enjoyed this movie as did everyone else in the theater! The shear simplicity of it made easier to follow and gave thew ability to laugh without missing some key point 2 seconds after a joke has been made. And if you did any research on the production and idea behind this film (as any good journalst or reviewer ought to) you would surely have read some-where that Frank Miller did not intend for this movie to be an action packed, seriouse and everyday crusade against evil such as they attempt to pull off in batman and spiderman ( I mean can really say that any of these modern Super-Hero films are worth watching?) Anyways I think this review was completely unfair to the movie completly unfounded as you obviously had no idea of the intentions that movie was brought to life on and because I'm tired of you old farts writing reveiws on films that do not target you for the audiance! Go review Benjamin Button and work on your 401k but leave these movies to use young adualts and teens!
11
Hey The oldest Jonas brother:
Just because The Stranger pans the movies you like, doesn't mean they pan everything (still, there is a lot of pan worthy stuff out there). If you're going to complain about The Stranger panning movies you love/like/enjoy or whatever else why not do something novel and make a compelling case to challenge them? (Chimps who fling poop as a means expression can also be taught sign language. Take a cue.)
Reviews worth reading, unlike advertising copy, are not about catering to viewers' tastes.
Isn't tiresome to see ad after ad heaped w/ phony praise such as "An epic accomplishment" "a stunning achievement" "breathtaking" for films like The Mummy VVI or Australia (That's a current movie title, right?), or some or another crappy schmaltz-fest?
I loved Aeon Flux but it wasn't exactly a great film. I really would not give a fuck if a reviewer trashed it because I just liked it (I'd say why, but here is not the place, now is not the time).
This is an old saw but I think it applies here: There's so much butt licking advertising out there telling us how original and brilliant we are if we like certain things (that's not to disregard the stuff telling us how inadequate we are to get us to buy stuff, but that's another post for another thread) that it's easy to assume that our tastes should be lauded all the time.
Just because The Stranger pans the movies you like, doesn't mean they pan everything (still, there is a lot of pan worthy stuff out there). If you're going to complain about The Stranger panning movies you love/like/enjoy or whatever else why not do something novel and make a compelling case to challenge them? (Chimps who fling poop as a means expression can also be taught sign language. Take a cue.)
Reviews worth reading, unlike advertising copy, are not about catering to viewers' tastes.
Isn't tiresome to see ad after ad heaped w/ phony praise such as "An epic accomplishment" "a stunning achievement" "breathtaking" for films like The Mummy VVI or Australia (That's a current movie title, right?), or some or another crappy schmaltz-fest?
I loved Aeon Flux but it wasn't exactly a great film. I really would not give a fuck if a reviewer trashed it because I just liked it (I'd say why, but here is not the place, now is not the time).
This is an old saw but I think it applies here: There's so much butt licking advertising out there telling us how original and brilliant we are if we like certain things (that's not to disregard the stuff telling us how inadequate we are to get us to buy stuff, but that's another post for another thread) that it's easy to assume that our tastes should be lauded all the time.
12
This thing was fabulously bad; you'd think Seattle's premier publisher of trash writing could appreciate that.
Why you ask do I read The Stranger, or recommend seeing The Spirit? Cause things as bad as that Flash Gordon flick can still be really fun. If you go for camp and something you and your friends can poke fun at for days afterwards, The Spirit will deliver.
Why you ask do I read The Stranger, or recommend seeing The Spirit? Cause things as bad as that Flash Gordon flick can still be really fun. If you go for camp and something you and your friends can poke fun at for days afterwards, The Spirit will deliver.
13
We already knew it was going to be vastly different from the source material. The Spirit was not about whores. Frank Miller can only write women as whores. There ya go.
14
I really think Frank Miller does great comics.
This is a crap-fest of a movie. While I watched it, a 13 year old spent half the movie trying to convince his dad to walk out. The kid finally did walk out, the dad followed and literally dragged him back in.
If I was not a die hard comic fan, I would have walked out...
To quote someone sitting behind me during the movie's Nazi scene... "What the fuck?"
This is a crap-fest of a movie. While I watched it, a 13 year old spent half the movie trying to convince his dad to walk out. The kid finally did walk out, the dad followed and literally dragged him back in.
If I was not a die hard comic fan, I would have walked out...
To quote someone sitting behind me during the movie's Nazi scene... "What the fuck?"
15
Okay Paul, I saw The Spirit today, and.....
....you are right. It was a terrible fuckin movie. I counted at least 5 people that left in the first 20 minutes. I would have counted myself among those folks, but I was determined to grind through.
I was almost embarrassed to be seen when the lights came up and there I still was.
But I still have to say The Stranger seems to dog on a lot of films that don't deserve it. Valkyrie for instance, was not perfect, but it was a helluva a lot better than Sanders makes it out to be. (I mean Jesus, he compares Hitler to Bush in his review. I know he goes on to state that he isn't, but he kind of, sort of, DID compare the two.)
And your review of The Dark Knight.......that movie is a masterpiece, it will go down as a masterpiece, regardless of awards. Yet, you go on to say some of the action scenes are "impossible to follow" & Christian Bale "lisps & roars(...)like a child trying to sound scary..."
What the fuck guys? Sorry that Sergio Leone isn't making movies anymore.
Here's a word I know you'll remember, ANHEDONIA.
That's what the Stranger suffers from, and it's Factor 3 is bottoming out.
....you are right. It was a terrible fuckin movie. I counted at least 5 people that left in the first 20 minutes. I would have counted myself among those folks, but I was determined to grind through.
I was almost embarrassed to be seen when the lights came up and there I still was.
But I still have to say The Stranger seems to dog on a lot of films that don't deserve it. Valkyrie for instance, was not perfect, but it was a helluva a lot better than Sanders makes it out to be. (I mean Jesus, he compares Hitler to Bush in his review. I know he goes on to state that he isn't, but he kind of, sort of, DID compare the two.)
And your review of The Dark Knight.......that movie is a masterpiece, it will go down as a masterpiece, regardless of awards. Yet, you go on to say some of the action scenes are "impossible to follow" & Christian Bale "lisps & roars(...)like a child trying to sound scary..."
What the fuck guys? Sorry that Sergio Leone isn't making movies anymore.
Here's a word I know you'll remember, ANHEDONIA.
That's what the Stranger suffers from, and it's Factor 3 is bottoming out.
16
Hey the oldest Jonas brother,
What made those movies good? I'd actually like to know. So far, I've seen Tom Cruise chewing up scenery in few commercials for Valkyrie, but nothing to recommend it.
What made those movies good? I'd actually like to know. So far, I've seen Tom Cruise chewing up scenery in few commercials for Valkyrie, but nothing to recommend it.
17
KIA,
I'm disappointed. It's pretty self-explanatory. Valkyrie is about the plot to kill Hitler. You're talking about assinating THE murderous tyrant, a man garbed in blankets of protection and invincibility. Layers & layers of mean, nasty Nazis are loaded for bear and ready to die for him.
The balls it takes to sneak in a bomb and plant the fucker at his feet, well, it takes some fuckin balls.
The mere rumor could have you pulled from bed and hung from the highest lamp-post. Not to mention the slaughter of your wife, your kids, your friends, your co-workers.
I don't know, sounds pretty suspenseful to me.
Singer's directing conveys this well and the cast is chalk-full of talent, including Cruise.
Was it perfect? No, they could have made it better, but it deserved better from Sanders. He makes a crack about Cruise, an eye-patch & a thematic comparison between Hitler and the Bush Administration.
LAME LAME LAME LAME LAME
And if you didn't understand that, KIA, then you don't know dick.
I just K.I.A.'d the K.I.A.
(Hmm, lame joke, I should work for the Stranger)
I'm disappointed. It's pretty self-explanatory. Valkyrie is about the plot to kill Hitler. You're talking about assinating THE murderous tyrant, a man garbed in blankets of protection and invincibility. Layers & layers of mean, nasty Nazis are loaded for bear and ready to die for him.
The balls it takes to sneak in a bomb and plant the fucker at his feet, well, it takes some fuckin balls.
The mere rumor could have you pulled from bed and hung from the highest lamp-post. Not to mention the slaughter of your wife, your kids, your friends, your co-workers.
I don't know, sounds pretty suspenseful to me.
Singer's directing conveys this well and the cast is chalk-full of talent, including Cruise.
Was it perfect? No, they could have made it better, but it deserved better from Sanders. He makes a crack about Cruise, an eye-patch & a thematic comparison between Hitler and the Bush Administration.
LAME LAME LAME LAME LAME
And if you didn't understand that, KIA, then you don't know dick.
I just K.I.A.'d the K.I.A.
(Hmm, lame joke, I should work for the Stranger)
18
Hey tojb:
First of all my second post wasn't an attack but rather an actual question.
Um, I actually know what the movie is about and about World War II and the Nazis. Bad as our public school system is, I got to learn all about that stuff.
Before you start congratulating yourself tojb, let me point out that you haven't said much in your post beyond that I don't know dick and that you K.I.A.'d me (whatever K.I.A.'d means).
Yeah, Valkyrie's premise is interesting. An interesting premise alone, however, doesn't necessarily guarantee a quality movie. (Danny Boyle's Sunshine had an interesting premise--the Sun is dying, Earth sends a spaceship appropriately named Icarus to reignite it but en route the mission is sabotaged by someone who believes it's God's will for humanity to die. Sounds suspenseful, eh? The film was a mess, poorly paced, no character development, empty performances. It was visually stunning, though. Boyle has also done great films like Trainspotting, 28 Days Later.)
A talented cast doesn't guarantee a good movie either. (Cider House Rules featured Charlize Theron, an amazing actress--she was brilliant in Monster, very convincing while playing against type, giving an emotionally wrenching, poignant performance. Despite her talents, Cider House rules was a mediocre, formulaic film, emotionally cloying and manipulative w/ a way too rosy view of the race relations characteristic of that time and place, e.g the migrant workers and lovers Theron and MacGuire, warmly befriend and accept each other.
I would've offered a more recent example of a bad movie, but I'm pretty good at screening out bad films and/or picking out stuff I'll like so I don't see them too often.)
You say: "Singer's directing conveys this well," regarding the suspenseful aspect of the plot. Okay, but how? You don't say anything else.
You say that I don't know dick. Well yeah, I wouldn't know dick about a film I hadn't seen, other than what I've read in reviews or seen in ads. You may be psychic but I'm not.
Why did it deserve better from Sanders? You don't say anything here either. How could the film have been made better?
You've busted on The Strangers' reviewers twice now, yet you haven't offered anything of substance in your posts.
More...
First of all my second post wasn't an attack but rather an actual question.
Um, I actually know what the movie is about and about World War II and the Nazis. Bad as our public school system is, I got to learn all about that stuff.
Before you start congratulating yourself tojb, let me point out that you haven't said much in your post beyond that I don't know dick and that you K.I.A.'d me (whatever K.I.A.'d means).
Yeah, Valkyrie's premise is interesting. An interesting premise alone, however, doesn't necessarily guarantee a quality movie. (Danny Boyle's Sunshine had an interesting premise--the Sun is dying, Earth sends a spaceship appropriately named Icarus to reignite it but en route the mission is sabotaged by someone who believes it's God's will for humanity to die. Sounds suspenseful, eh? The film was a mess, poorly paced, no character development, empty performances. It was visually stunning, though. Boyle has also done great films like Trainspotting, 28 Days Later.)
A talented cast doesn't guarantee a good movie either. (Cider House Rules featured Charlize Theron, an amazing actress--she was brilliant in Monster, very convincing while playing against type, giving an emotionally wrenching, poignant performance. Despite her talents, Cider House rules was a mediocre, formulaic film, emotionally cloying and manipulative w/ a way too rosy view of the race relations characteristic of that time and place, e.g the migrant workers and lovers Theron and MacGuire, warmly befriend and accept each other.
I would've offered a more recent example of a bad movie, but I'm pretty good at screening out bad films and/or picking out stuff I'll like so I don't see them too often.)
You say: "Singer's directing conveys this well," regarding the suspenseful aspect of the plot. Okay, but how? You don't say anything else.
You say that I don't know dick. Well yeah, I wouldn't know dick about a film I hadn't seen, other than what I've read in reviews or seen in ads. You may be psychic but I'm not.
Why did it deserve better from Sanders? You don't say anything here either. How could the film have been made better?
You've busted on The Strangers' reviewers twice now, yet you haven't offered anything of substance in your posts.
19
@AK Rob
I read comics too, and I used to love Miller. His Wolverine, DareDevil, and The Dark Night were definitive works. But that was Miller 20 years ago:Now, even his comics stink up the joint, as anyone reading his TDNR II, or Batman & Robin("Because I'm teh Goddam Batman!"), will attest.
Somewhere along the line, post 2000, Miller went a little crazy. And I don't mean interesting, artist crazy: I mean playing with his poo, calling all women whores, eating his nose droppings crazy. It's actually sad to watch talent flow away like that, and everytime I see Miller now, I'm reminded of just how great the loss was.
I read comics too, and I used to love Miller. His Wolverine, DareDevil, and The Dark Night were definitive works. But that was Miller 20 years ago:Now, even his comics stink up the joint, as anyone reading his TDNR II, or Batman & Robin("Because I'm teh Goddam Batman!"), will attest.
Somewhere along the line, post 2000, Miller went a little crazy. And I don't mean interesting, artist crazy: I mean playing with his poo, calling all women whores, eating his nose droppings crazy. It's actually sad to watch talent flow away like that, and everytime I see Miller now, I'm reminded of just how great the loss was.
20
"You guys fuckin hate EVERYTHING!!! I mean, someone should do a tally on this shit. Collectively, you guys like about 8% of the films released each year."
--The oldest Jonas brother
Dude, look up Sturgeon's Law some time.
--The oldest Jonas brother
Dude, look up Sturgeon's Law some time.
21
There were so few people at this movie, I didn't feel at all bad about masturbating into my popcorn.
Eva Medes is hot.
Eva Medes is hot.
23
@ Oldest: I really liked The Dark Knight, but the action sequences were poorly plotted out and Christian Bale's Batman--a Batman that sounded perfect in Batman Begins--sounded ridiculous in that movie. Those were pretty much the only two flaws in The Dark Knight. Am I not allowed to point out flaws in a movie? With something like Dark Knight, which everyone in the world is going to see no matter what, I feel as though part of my job as a reviewer is to prepare a viewer and contextualize the film. It's not my job to declare a film a masterpiece. The only thing that declares a film a masterpiece is time. It's my job to say "This is a good (or bad) movie. Here are the good parts. Here are the flaws." If you want someone unquestionably ejaculating all over a movie and declaring it a masterpiece, that's why God made USA Today, People Magazine, and Entertainment Tonight.
24
Also: I regret that I did not mention in my review that Eva Mendes' ass is fan-fucking-tastic in this movie.
25
See, I think the action sequences were great in TDK. Should they have brought in Michael Bay to jiggle the camera so badly that you can't tell what the fuck is going on? I'll take Chris Nolan any day of the week.
And Batman's voice, well, Batman does need to disguise his voice.
It's funny because Batman Begins, I thought it could have been better. When the city is going apeshit at the end and Batman is running around the streets and subway and Jim Gordon is riding in the Tumbler - THAT was pretty confusing.
Also you should take a look at the movie again because I think they have the slightest fast-forward imprinted on the film during the ending. No one picked this up, but it's there. I think the studio was trying to speed up the already long running time.
Also, I disagree that "time" declares a masterpiece. You know it when you see it. BULLY for instance, with Brad Renfro, is a goddamn masterpiece, but most people haven't seen it and never will. Watch it, you'll agree.
Also, I'd like to admit that yes, I've been a dick and am wrong. 90% of what comes out of Hollywood is really shit.
Furthermore, I would like to have sexual contact with Eva Mendes. I would like to see her do Basic Instinct 3: Return of the Vag.
And Batman's voice, well, Batman does need to disguise his voice.
It's funny because Batman Begins, I thought it could have been better. When the city is going apeshit at the end and Batman is running around the streets and subway and Jim Gordon is riding in the Tumbler - THAT was pretty confusing.
Also you should take a look at the movie again because I think they have the slightest fast-forward imprinted on the film during the ending. No one picked this up, but it's there. I think the studio was trying to speed up the already long running time.
Also, I disagree that "time" declares a masterpiece. You know it when you see it. BULLY for instance, with Brad Renfro, is a goddamn masterpiece, but most people haven't seen it and never will. Watch it, you'll agree.
Also, I'd like to admit that yes, I've been a dick and am wrong. 90% of what comes out of Hollywood is really shit.
Furthermore, I would like to have sexual contact with Eva Mendes. I would like to see her do Basic Instinct 3: Return of the Vag.
26
We walked out after about 45 minutes. I would've walked out in the first 15, but everyone thought (hoped) it may get better. We did happen to stay long enough to see either Eva's ass or a stand-in who was spectacularly junked.
What we did walk away with was free passes to another flick, plus fodder for hours of laughter.
My friends and I predict this will be the next cult classic a la "Showgirls." The dialogue was THAT BAD.
What we did walk away with was free passes to another flick, plus fodder for hours of laughter.
My friends and I predict this will be the next cult classic a la "Showgirls." The dialogue was THAT BAD.
28
Saw this at the Varsity and it left me with a sense of optimism for the future, because I know whatever other movie I see in 2009, however bad it may turn out to be, will still be better than The Spirit. No matter how many obstacles I may face in this life, I know that at least I will never have to watch this film again.
Why Miller tried to turn Sin City II: The Spirit into a 1960's Batman style campfest is beyond me, since that kind of thing only ever worked with 1960's Batman. Maybe with someone else behind the wheel, but unfortunately Frank Miller does no have a very good sense of humor.
And he needs to get over his Robin obsession already.
And it was a bad idea to plagerize Superman's "Mother help me, I am your champion" speech from The Dark Knight for the Spirit to use in one of his endless tedious monologues.
Finally, Samual L Jackson in blackface? Not cool.
Why Miller tried to turn Sin City II: The Spirit into a 1960's Batman style campfest is beyond me, since that kind of thing only ever worked with 1960's Batman. Maybe with someone else behind the wheel, but unfortunately Frank Miller does no have a very good sense of humor.
And he needs to get over his Robin obsession already.
And it was a bad idea to plagerize Superman's "Mother help me, I am your champion" speech from The Dark Knight for the Spirit to use in one of his endless tedious monologues.
Finally, Samual L Jackson in blackface? Not cool.
29
As a young adult I resent Jessem's comment. "Shear simplicity" is not what I look for in a film. And for the record, neither is sheer simplicity.
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