Marc Webb’s superb direction and a near perfect cast shine in Marvel’’ latest web slinger adventure. But it is 85-year-old Alvin Sargent’s script that is the true star of The Amazing Spiderman.

Hollywood is seriously over exhausting the ideal of the reboot.  Sometimes it as though studios rush a film solely for revenue purposes, knowing the fan and critic response may be negative.  However audiences are forgiving of some sub-par franchises, and look forward to the inevitable darker, moodier, and more tightly woven reboot.   I knew that the reboot would be as common as romantic comedies after viewing the two definitive reboots of the early 21^st century:  Batman Begins and Casino Royale.  Although nipples on the Batsuit and invisible Aston Martins certainly were ludicrous plot devices that needed correction, the first good caped crusader film and 21^st Bond film should be a testament for studios to aspire to do cinema right the first time.  Nevertheless, I viewed Sam Raimi’s 2002 & 2004 Spiderman and Spiderman 2 (yes I still avoid subsequent viewings of the overly convoluted third film) respectively with the hopes of intentionally creating Déjà vu.  If Sony Pictures studio executives Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton are correct in justifying the 2012 Spiderman reboot, audiences should feel as though they are viewing an entirely new film.  500 Days of Summer director Marc Webb remarkably revisits some familiar territory and still delivers a worthy entry into the superhero genre. 

Being less campy and bleaker is not enough for Marc Webb and his crew, and they have chosen to have seemingly less action and more dialogue in a movie with a reported $220 million dollar budget.  This is a risky but logical approach that is probably learned in film courses with 101 following the course name: i.e the audience becomes fully acquainted with the cast and when action happens they actually care about the character’s fate.  Simple enough but this warrants stellar execution on the part of the director framing his actors/actresses in a serene environment.  Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone do not totally overshadow what Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst first did 10 years prior, but the former mentioned couple’s relationship is richer and more vibrant.  Garfield and Stone are able to have an intelligent loner and intelligent rebel have chemistry without it felling trite and forced.  In this movie Peter Parker was not the kid that everyone thinks of as a window-licker or the person destined to go dunking for turds in the high-school bathroom courtesy of the cliché’ school bully.  No, he was not overly popular and he is highly intelligent, but that does not denote nerd.  And this is where the script shines:  Parker does not have to be nerdy or unpopular for us to cheer for him once he receives his extraordinary powers.  The circumstances that led to him living with Uncle Ben and Aunt May (Martin Sheen & Sally Fields are a worthy swap for Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris) are complex enough to drive this movie and the inevitable sequel. 

The movie’s $220 million dollar budget is distributed well across the runtime of 2hrs 16mins, and although I am not a fan of CGI, the computer effects are warranted if you want an agile lizard-man ravaging the George Washington Bridge.   The Epic Red One camera (along with the Arri Alexa) is the best of the lot when it comes to digital cinematography, but I am still not convinced that it is better than standard 35mm.  Nonetheless all of the aesthetics for this film are on par or better than other 2012 releases thus far.

My only complaint is that at times the antagonist will play out like a derivative Godzilla like creature rather than a true villain.  Again this is a minor complaint and I am looking forward to what the 85 year old Alvin Sargent (Ordinary People, What About Bob? and Spiderman1-3) and his fellow two screenwriters will come up with next.  Sony Pictures was at fault for forcing Sargent to include too many villains and a daytime soap opera love story in the 3^rd Spiderman film.  Alvin Sargent, James Vanderbilt, and Harry Potter alum Steve Kloves have a challenge ahead of them to explore the dangers of Oscorp, decide the fate of Gwen Stacy, and ultimately give a reason for audiences to return to theaters once this huge 2012-movie year is over. 

The Amazing Spiderman: B+

What’s Next For Sony Pictures? How About A Justified Remake For A Little Known Military Great.

March 2011 was a devastating month for Japan, for a 9.0 earthquake caused a massive tsunami.  This tsunami cost massive destruction and significant radiation leak at a nuclear power plant.  Although no U.S. military bases were affected by the carnage, The U.S State Department offered temporary evacuation for dependents of service members.  My wife and children left for one month, and during that time I applied for transfer admission to The University Of Oklahoma and watched 21 movies that I had never seen before.  Hud, White Heat, Notorious, Midnight Cowboy, All About Eve, and It Happened One Night were among the films that I watched.  Most were quite good, but it was the seldom-discussed The Last Detail that most intrigued me.

The story of The Last Detail is quite simple:  Two Navy men are ordered to bring a young offender to prison but decide to show him one last good time along the way.  The young offender (played well by a very young Randy Quaid) is accused of stealing from the wife of a commanding officer and is given a harsh eight year sentence to a Naval prison in New Hampshire.  Jack Nicholson and the late Otis Young portray the two Non-Commissioned Officers that escort the young man to his fate.  Along the way Nicholson and Young’s characters decide to treat the kid to alcohol, semi-fine dining, and an awkward but hilarious attempt to have him lose his virginity.   Also the dynamic duo takes the young man on a mini-odyssey to reconcile with his family. 

The story is Robert Towne’s second best script, after the near perfect Chinatown.  Columbia Pictures is owned by Sony Pictures and this would be a great opportunity for Amy Pascal (Head of Sony’s Production and Marketing) to put a worthy remake on screen.  The movie could use the touches of Aaron Sorkin and/or Steve Zaillian to keep the original tone with a modern twist.  The story could use better exposition, and a bigger budget of about $40 million  (for location and film, yes film not digital) would give this already profound story a face-lift.  Bigger set pieces and more exotic locations would make the clever antics and search for inner-peace more interesting. 

I would suggest Sam Mendes or Mike Nichols to direct the project with Daniel Craig, Terrence Howard, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the title roles.  Craig would not be as eccentric as the great Nicholson but seeing his performance in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, his hard-edge would compliment a poised but funny Terrence Howard.  Joseph Gordon Levitt is just on fire at the moment (Inception, Lincoln, Django Unchained, The Dark Knight Rises) so why not give him another role to knock out of the park? 

Because of tighter customs, traditions, and rules in the modern Navy, Sony Pictures would need Naval consultants to make sure that some elements are not overly exaggerated.  Well Cinematic Impact has two editors that are Sailors.   Just saying. 

To Reboot or Not To Reboot, That Is The Question.

 

Growing up reading comic books, most youth were extremely disappointed with the live-action adaptations of their favorite superheroes.  Movies such as the 1990 Captain America Movie were absolutely atrocious with bad acting and special effects that were on par with afternoon school television specials.  Even Tim Burton’s 1989 and 1992 Batman films were too over the top.  With the latter movie having penguins with rockets on their backs towards the end of the film.  Joel Smuckmaker, I mean Joel Schumacher added neon lights, a mildly retarded Bane, and “Bat nipples” to the franchise to allow comic book movies to be taken as seriously as Gallagher smashing a watermelon.  Once again Cinematic Impact has to mention the man that always does everything correct:  Christopher Nolan.  Nolan took the Batman franchise out of the shitter and it is now so revered that Clint Eastwood says that he takes Batman Begins and The Dark Knight as seriously as any major crime saga to be released from Warner Bros.  In regards to Batman Begins, these films along with the 2006 Casino Royale are the definitive reboots of the 21^st Century.  Now Sony Pictures’ subsidiary Columbia Pictures has the daunting task of giving the public an exceptional Spiderman film that will go up against Prometheus, The Avengers, and The Dark Knight Rises in 2012.  Warner Bros. has to make Superman something other than a child-support dodger with Man of Steel.

The Amazing Spiderman

 

Sony Pictures executives Michael Lynton and Amy Pascal conducted an interview with the U.K magazine Empire.  Empire learned that the executives are well aware that it’s going to take a unique story to keep viewer’s interest in another web slinging adventure.  For the majority of critics and moviegoers enjoyed the first two Sam Raimi directed films.  The third was a convoluted mess of whining couples, too many villains, and a totally unnecessary EMO/Gothic dancing scene.  The action scenes were not engaging because everyone knew that Mary Jane would end up in a predicament suspended hundreds of feet above the ground and Spiderman would swing into action and save her in the nick-of-time.   The most pathetic subplot in Spider-Man 3 was the revelation that Peter Parker’s uncle was actually killed by Flint Marko; who earlier conveniently lands in the middle of a radiation experiment to become Sandman.  The next Spidey outing will need to be more than just a darker atmosphere.  Especially with the studio deciding to include traces of the origin story again, it will take a whole new perspective to keep audiences coming back for more.  The Superhero genre’ is reaching its apex, and soon only the cream of the crop will be worthy of audience’s money and time. 

Sony Pictures fully launched The Amazing Spiderman.com today (26DEC2011) and there is a very brief description of the film’s plot, characters, and production crew.  Marc Webb (the director of the wonderful 500 Days Of Summer) is helming this project.  Webb’s background is primarily in music videos, but web-heads should not worry because David Fincher has proved that former music video directors can be competent directors. Webb’s players are Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) Emma Stone (The Help), Martin Sheen (The Departed) and Sally Field (Mrs. Doubtfire).  Garfield is lean and handsome, and looks more like a real-life representation of Peter Parker than the still competent Tobey Maguire.  Garfield’s costume is slightly altered and he also sorts web-cartridges just like in the comics.  Supposedly in this film, Peter Parker will discover the truth behind why his parents abandoned him, while dealing with a deadly creation from Oscorp.  The Red One Epic camera will be used to capture Spidey’s battles with the Lizard-Man.  I am a true fan of the film format, but this digital camera is the best of the lot.  And of course Sony Pictures is banking on the 3D format to quadruple the $220 million dollar budget.  No matter how great this film is, it will still have that been-there-done-that feeling.  David Fincher has said that the origin story and the death of Uncle Ben should be taken care of in a crafty 10-minute James Bond-ish montage, and then roll the audience into a grand brand-new adventure. 

Man Of Steel.

 

Warner Bros. tasked Christopher Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas to find the next director of the most famous hero from Krypton.  The list of potential directors included Matt Reeves, Darren Aronosfky, Chris Columbus, and Duncan Jones.  But it was the slow-motion/ speed-ramping fiend Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen, and The Dawn of the Dead) that landed the job.  Snyder is obviously a great choice.  His action sequences are riveting and although he uses CGI heavily he does have his special effect team do as much practically as possible.  Superman will benefit greatly from the high-speed camera shots, but it is not Snyder that I am worried about.  True, Sucker Punch was just a long video game cut scene and was lackluster, but that is forgivable. 

The writing from Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer needs to be top-notch.  These two writers are no strangers to superb screenwriting; however making a nearly invincible character engaging yet badass to audiences will not be a walk in the park.  Superman is extremely story intensive.  Superman Returns featured Superman, as a deadbeat dad who fought a giant rock as the climax of the film, so no matter what Snyder will have a better film than the 2006 crowd disappointer.  J. Nolan and Goyer must craft a story where the origin story of Superman is not needed, and it is questionable if the world needs Superman.  Yes, Superman Returns tried the latter mentioned notion and failed.  But perhaps Snyder will show a world that is in utter chaos (not just damsels in distress) and only a being of phenomenal power and fortitude can contain the situation.  Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road, Boardwalk Empire) will play Superman’s muscle equivalent General Zod.  Zod is the sickest mofo this side of Braniac and Doomsday in Superman’s universe.  The cast that includes Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, and Russell Crowe are a stellar line-up.  Kevin Costner is not a gifted actor (he is set to play Clark Kent’s earthly father), but perhaps his role will be small or mundane enough that it will not be a factor.  And of course Henry Cavill is looking totally convincing in the lead role. 

Sue Kroll, the head of Warner Bros.’ marketing team should have fun publicizing and advertising for this film.  The posters and trailers will have epic encounters of its protagonist and antagonist.  Snyder has Chris Nolan onboard as a producer, so it will not be entirely impossible that we see some type of prologue or extended scene that features pulse-pounding action.