Pitfall's movie news : Updated 5/9/2007

[pitfallharry]

admin said:

Wow... that's this week isn't it?

Man, time is really flying this year. Spiderman 3 looks to be a great movie, and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Ken

Yeah, I've noticed since we've had the kids time seems to move much quicker. I guess it's because you have a little life there that you watching grow before eyes and it allows you to see just how fast time really moves by.

It certainly didn't seem that way before the kids were born.

[pitfallharry]

The new full trailer for the Fantastic Four : Rise of the Silver Surfer
is online.

I must say it looks pretty darn good.


www.apple.com/trailers/fox/fantasticfourriseofthesilversurfer/

[pitfallharry]

pastimesteve said:

Thanks KT -- about what I'm expecting. I agree about the MJ & PP relationship. The chemistry between them was awesome in the first movie, but in S2, it was only so-so. Maybe because Peter "got the girl" so to speak. I'm looking forward to Brice though! I'm also not surprised by the "too many bad guys" problem. There's only so much you can fit into one movie...

On a related subject, I was getting caught up on this thread, and I noticed a lot of talk about POTC 3. I know I'm going to be in the severe minority here based on the money POTC 2 made, but...

I found the 1st movie to be a fun popcorn flick, but I absolutely hated last year's sequel. Yep, that's right, I hated it. While I realize it's a pirate movie, I was dismayed to find Orlando Bloom's character the only character with redeeming qualities. The others, including what's-her-face, had a decaying moral compass that left me nothing to root for or care about. Not to mention, it was incredibly dark and disgusting visually. It was like George Lucas gone bad from a CGI overdose.

In the end, I wanted both Depp and the film's lone love interest to get thrown into the giant squid -- forever! I'm not sure that was the filmmaker's intent, but that's the way I reacted. I will not see POTC 3 at the theater and I suppose I'll be one of 10. ;D

Steve

As far as Peter and MJ go on-screen my only problem is some of the dialog that was written for them.....in the second one especially. It came off kind of sappy. The dialog in the comics that I've read never came off like that to me. Another slight problem is that Dunst just never fit the role to me. She's cute but I can think of several other actresses that would have fit the part better and would have looked more like her.

As far as POTC 2 goes I didn't see much of a difference at all between both one and two. Yes, two seemed a little darker but I found them both fun popcorn flicks. Having the characters constantly double crossing one another kept things interesting. I understand where your coming from though. Having certain people behave differently then what was established in the first film was kind of a shock. You've got to look at 2 though as the very middle of a larger story. I'm waiting to see the final resolution before I pass final judgment on the series as a whole.

This could either end up falling a part like the Matrix trilogy or end up becoming the Pirate movie equivalent of the Star Wars series.

[pitfallharry]

MINOR SPOILERS:






I saw Spidey 3 tonight and I thought it was great. The film fits in perfectly with the other 2 films. In fact if you'd watch all three of them in a row it would be like one giant story. If you didn't like the first two films you won't like this one.

I've read a lot of reviews that said the film suffers from to many plots going on all at once and I'd have to say I agree with that to some extent. I really wish they would have held Venom back for the fourth film. The plot with Harry alone could have carried this film or Sandman's story. I think they did a great job of juggling it and I really liked how they set the characters up they just didn't give them any room to grow. In Batman Forever and Batman and Robin they introduced a bunch of villains you didn't give a :-Xit about.....In this film the introduce a bunch of villains you do care about and want to spend more time with but you don't get the chance. Whoever thought you'd hear a complaint about to much of a plot with a summer blockbuster......usually it's the opposite! ;D Don't get me wrong.....it's annoying but it doesn't ruin the fun.

Sandman's origin alone is worth the price of admission and it blows The Mummy sand fx out of the water!


As far as Topher Grace and Venom go they got pretty darn close considering the amount of time he had on screen and the massive history of the character. That's not saying I didn't have some problems with the movie Venom. One was that his voice when he and Brock are "joined" just wasn't right. It's basically Topher's voice. In my mind when I've read the books I always heard it more menacing with a bit of an echo. Topher's voice just doesn't seem like it should be coming out of that creature. The second problem is when their "joined" Venom never refers to himself as "we". That's a big part of the character. It shows that not only is Brock's personality involved it shows that the alien has a distinct personality as well and it's not just some "thing" that doesn't think. The third and final problem was they NEVER call him Venom. This goes back to the personality problem. Since they never let the alien side speak we never get the famous introduction from the books "We are Venom!". That would have fit in perfectly when Spidey and Venom first come face to face. One or two lines of dialog would have sent the audience through the roof and they missed it.

I personally would have kept Brock in the film and then left him and Venom joining until the end as a big cliff-hanger for the fourth film.

I still think Grace could have made and excellent Peter Parker / Spidey. I like Tobey and I think he's done a great job. Topher just has that cocky / wisecracking attitude that's been missing from the movie Spidey since the first one. That's been one of the few complaints I've had with the series from the start.......Spidey needs to bug the crap out of these guys when he's fighting them. That's a major part of the character.


Really, other than a few minor "fanboy" issues I had with the film it's a good solid summer movie. This is one of the best comic book movie series out there and I think it's still got a lot of life left in it. It certainly respects it's source material and doesn't treat it with contempt.

It does end on a rather sad note which is different. It doesn't have the upbeat ending the other 2 movies did. Considering what all of the characters go through in this third one I think it works and it's very "adult". You have your good days and your bad days but you just have to pick yourself up and keep moving forward.

This film has definitely left me wanting more...

[Steve]

Sounds great, I can't wait to see it!

As to Venom, I've always thought of him as having a voice that isn't just menacing, but taunting. It would fit in well with his leering grin. Not goofy, but dark and angry.

[IndyBlues]

I loved this film, it was such a good time. This is one of the only trilogies that has a seamless connection between the 3 films.
No weird change in looks or style. I would love to see this series continue, as long as they can get Raimi and Maguire to work on it, it'll keep kicking butt.
Mike

[indianadirk]

all over the internet iam reading negative stuff about this movie and the biggest issue is Snaggletooth ( Dunst) how did you find that?

I really think they need to cast Laura Prepon for that role.

[pitfallharry]

Dirk, you just have to see the movie for yourself. Your the one that will have to decide if you thought it was good or not. I wouldn't let what other people are saying.......including film critics sway you one way or another.

A lot of the negativity I'm hearing is coming from what I describe as the "fanboy mentality". It's the type of person that's never satisfied with a comic book movie unless it's an exact copy of the books.

I had two morons behind me that did nothing but make fun of every serious moment in the film. Then I heard them whining about Venom. Which, as I said , I did have to but not the extent that I'd say this film was awful or a disaster. These type of whiny morons always blow everything way out of proportion anyway no matter what it is. I've gotten to the point where I'm just sick to death of hearing them open their mouths. That whole subculture is part of the reason I don't even collect the books anymore.

Yes, Spidey 3 was great but it could have been fantastic if they'd have left one of the villains for a sequel. Unless your doing a massive superhero team movie or a Spidey story featuring the Sinister Six then my advice would be to have just one bad guy per film.

[indianadirk]

Yeah but what I meant I have always found Kirsten Dunst a terrible and very annoying actress.. But from what iam reading she's very irritating

[pitfallharry]

Well, let's put it this way. If you didn't like Dunst in the other two then you won't like her in this one.

I've always thought she's a good actress. I think in some ways she was miscast for these films. To me she's never really fit the role but at the same time she's never been so bad in it that it was distracting.

I really liked Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Stacy and I hope to god they bring her back for Spidey 4. The way this one ends they could kind of go any route with these characters.

I've been hearing rumors if Maguire and Dunst don't return then they'd recast the parts. One rumor has Many Moore up for the MJ role. To be honest I like that idea. She can act and she's got the looks. I think she's much prettier than Dunst. Jake Gyllenhaal is still rumored to be up for the Spidey part IF Tobey doesn't return. Another choice I'd be fine with.

IF Raimi doesn't return Sony better take their time and get another director of the same caliber. I'd hate to see them let this series fall into the hands of some fool that would destroy everything Sam has set in place.

[Kt. Templar]

Well, just as the UK head of Marvel intimated at the showing I went to. "We've got a big future planned for Spider-Man, I can't tell you right now but watch the news!" Sony are so pleased with the success of Spidy 3 that they are talking up a further 3 films.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6630521.stm

[pitfallharry]

This isn't the first time I've heard them mention making 3 more movies. In fact I kind of expected it. Spider-Man has got one of the best rogues galleries of any superhero out there plus a rich history to pull story ideas from.

I only hope they listen to the folks out there like me that enjoyed the film but want them to pull back some and leave one villain per film. I really would have liked for them to focus more on the Sandman in this one. Thomas Hayden Church made a perfect Flint Marko.


My fear is Sony's going to try and rush the fourth one into production and screw everything up. I think Sam and the crew need a little bit of a rest.

[pitfallharry]

Ugh.....I just found this little nugget of news over at one of the movie sites.

The trades have just picked up the Robert Rodriguez-doing-The-Jetson’s news from earlier today, and mention that the “Sin City” helmer has also been approached to pen the big-screen take on TVs “Land of the Lost”. Will Ferrell is set to star in the movie.

This was assumingly the secret project that Rodriguez was telling Harry Knowles about earlier when he said, “Robert said there was something on the horizon that he'd let me know about, if things work, stars line up and the world smiles upon the project that would be unbelievably cool.... that "is right up your and my alley!"”


I'm probably one of the few people that like Will Farrell and think he's funny. I don't want to see him in this though. In fact I don't want to see them make this into a movie.

I used to watch the TV show saturday mornings when I was a kid. The FX were bad and the show was hokey but it was a 70's kids show that I loved. I DON'T want another one of my childhood memories raped by the greedy bastards in Hollywood and have this turned into some useless comedy.

Come up with something NEW!!! I'm sick of these crappy remakes.

[pitfallharry]

Well, I thought this would be the perfect spot to discuss what RB brought to my attention over in this other thread indylounge.proboards105.com/index.cgi?board=indynews&action=display&thread=1178674033

Here's what Mr. Lucas had to say in a recent interview about Spidey 3.

Lucas told me he has seen all the summer movies since his company, Industrial Light and Magic, does most of the special effects. The only one they didn't work on was "Spider-Man 3." What did he think of it?

"It's silly. It's a silly movie," he said. "There just isn't much there. Once you take it all apart, there's not much story, is there?"


Now don't get me wrong I like Lucas and I think he's a nice guy and he's definitely allowed to have his own opinion. That being said...

When it comes to Spidey 3 I don't agree with him one bit. For starters he comes off in this little article like his stuff is somehow better than the Spidey movies! George, I love your flicks, but please.......The Star Wars films aren't Shakespearean masterpieces for crying out loud.

I just can't believe he'd have the nerve to even say anything about the plot. One of the main complaints I've heard about Spidey 3 isn't the lack of a plot.....in fact it's the opposite and there's actually to much going on.

I love the Star Wars movies, even the new ones. I love the fact that my kids love the SW films. That doesn't mean I don't have problems with the plot and how they were directed though. Actually, it's the new three.....the ones George's hands were all over. These are the ones I kind of find the most faults with.

Yeah, if only Spidey would have had to deal with the Trade Federation in 3....maybe then it would have been better or MJ turning out to be his sister....that would have worked!

I mean come on. The guy that brought us Howard the Duck and Jar Jar Binks is calling Spidey 3 silly?

I also can't help but wonder if this isn't sour grapes like Steve mentioned in the other thread. ILM didn't work on this film and it's been breaking every box-office record in the books.

It very well be that George was misquoted to. The rest of this article had him saying something about doing two more live action SW movies.....which he has said time and again that he's not doing anymore movies......just the TV shows.

Here's hoping Indy 4 doesn't turn out to be "silly".

[Kt. Templar]

There's a moment at the beginning of Spider-Man 3 where we get a scene of Spidey swinging throught the air and there's an 'inner voice' voice over and you get a sudden feeling of the comic coming to life then the camera moves and you realise you are watching a bit of tv footage with a voice over. It's a real shame - suddenly you see how it could have been. The Spidey in the movies is s bit too po faced he has none of the wisecracking humour of the comics (of course I've not read a Spidey comic in about 15 years so I might be waaaay out of date here).

The sandman's first awakening is absolutely poetic and the symbiote's stalking Peter is chilling. I even quite liked the "Saturday Night Fever" sequence and I really enjoyed all the action set pieces. BUT, the MJ/Peter relationship is just dull, MJ runs off and flirts with her old boyfriend at the slightest provocation and whilst I loved Aunt May in parts 1 and 2, this time all I could do was think, PLEASE stop touching your hair when you are putting out biscuits!

Millions of people disagree, and are flocking to see it. And it is quite spectacular, but it is an exercise in stringing together some nice action scenes, it still doesn't make it a good story.

[pitfallharry]

kttemplar said:

There's a moment at the beginning of Spider-Man 3 where we get a scene of Spidey swinging throught the air and there's an 'inner voice' voice over and you get a sudden feeling of the comic coming to life then the camera moves and you realise you are watching a bit of tv footage with a voice over. It's a real shame - suddenly you see how it could have been. The Spidey in the movies is s bit too po faced he has none of the wisecracking humour of the comics (of course I've not read a Spidey comic in about 15 years so I might be waaaay out of date here).

The sandman's first awakening is absolutely poetic and the symbiote's stalking Peter is chilling. I even quite liked the "Saturday Night Fever" sequence and I really enjoyed all the action set pieces. BUT, the MJ/Peter relationship is just dull, MJ runs off and flirts with her old boyfriend at the slightest provocation and whilst I loved Aunt May in parts 1 and 2, this time all I could do was think, PLEASE stop touching your hair when you are putting out biscuits!

Millions of people disagree, and are flocking to see it. And it is quite spectacular, but it is an exercise in stringing together some nice action scenes, it still doesn't make it a good story.

I agree with you that the films have missed the mark when it comes to capturing Spidey's trademark sense of humor. To me that's a very essential part of who he is and if you think about it you could kind of say it's one of his "powers". How many times in the books has Pete used that to rattle the villains he's fighting. Most of the time these guys get so aggravated they start making mistakes during the fight and Spidey swoops in for the knockout. ;D

Even though I miss stuff like that and his mechanical webshooters (which by the way he no longer has in the regular books) I still enjoy the movie version now more than I do the comic series. They've screwed him up so badly in the last 15 years that the character is a pale reflection of what he used to be. The only glimpse I ever see of the character Stan and Steve created are in these films.

I don't agree that all of these dramatic moments in the film were just there to tie together the action scenes. There was a lot of stuff Sam had to wrap up that was carried over from the other two films. My problem was that they didn't focus enough on each of these story elements. I think the movie would have been fine with just Harry and the Sandman as villains. Topher did a great job as Brock and Venom was pretty darn close to the comic but I think they should have waited to use him for number 4. He should have been the cliffhanger for this film. I loved the black suit and I'd love to see it again. I just wish they wouldn't have crammed Venom into this one.

I kind of agree with you about the whole MJ and Peter relationship and I was wondering if they might just kill her off. I like the way they ended the film but I think if their going to do more sequels they need to let Peter date more women. In the books he dated Gwen, The Black Cat and even Betty. Gwen is another character I'm hoping comes back.......I think she's hotter than Mj. ;D

I liked seeing Aunt May and she's about the only person in Peter's life that he can turn to for any kind of moral guidance. He sure isn't going to get that from anyone else. Yeah, she shows up at just the right time with the right thing to say but this is a movie where a guy gets caught in an experiment that turns him into sand and he survives so I can overlook that. I certainly enjoy the movie Aunt May over the comic version.

I've heard some people complaining about the whole "Saturday Night Fever" sequence and people saying it was to goofy. Well, that's what it was supposed to be. Sam had to put something light in there because the majority of this films plot is very dramatic. I thought it was funny. Peter's basically a nerd. The way they describe the suits effect on him is like someone being drunk. So it makes sense to me that someone who isn't socially "with it" like Peter would think the way he's acting and dressing would be cool.

From what I've been hearing about 20 minutes from this film were cut from the already 2 hour and 36 minute running time. Some of it had to do with the Sandman and some of it showed what happened to Brock after he and Peter confront each other at the Bugle. If that 3 and half hour crap-fest that was Titanic can make a billion dollars with that long of a running time I don't know why Spider-Man 3 couldn't do the same. It sounds to me that most of the stuff people are complaining about wouldn't even be an issue if they would have left this stuff in to begin with. I've even heard they cut the line " I am...Venom!" from the film!!!!! WTF?!?!

As far as Lucas goes he's got no room to criticize anyone else's film after some of the stuff he's pulled.

[Steve]

It wasn't "I am Venom," it was "We are Venom!" Big difference. The latter shows that the symbiote had a mind of its own, ala the long prosaic exchanges between it and Brock in the comics.

I hope that if they make a fourth one it doesn't involve MJ being the main person Peter has to save at the end. It's getting old.

And I agree with you Pitfall...Gwen is hotter.

[pitfallharry]

steven said:

It wasn't "I am Venom," it was "We are Venom!" Big difference. The latter shows that the symbiote had a mind of its own, ala the long prosaic exchanges between it and Brock in the comics.

I hope that if they make a fourth one it doesn't involve MJ being the main person Peter has to save at the end. It's getting old.

And I agree with you Pitfall...Gwen is hotter.

Yes, you are correct and that's one of the tiny problems I pointed out about the "movie Venom" in my review for the film. However, having them at least have a line in there were he says his name would have been nice regardless of if he says "I" or "We".

Yeah, having MJ getting kidnapped at the end of each film is getting old. Have Peter go and save someone else or better yet just have him kick the crap out of the bad guy and leave MJ at home. It's almost like if his loved ones aren't involved he wouldn't even bother with them.

They made the same mistake with all of the Superman films as well. I mean how many times is Superman saving Lois. That gets really old too.

[Steve]

As a little aside, I was at the library yesterday and picked up an Ultimate Spiderman collection that involved Dr. Connors in his post-Lizard days and his dealing with Peter. That aside, something I thought was great was that when Peter was around people who knew about his powers, he rose above the gibbering, snivveling wimp act and was extremely confident and quick on the draw, which is what Peter should have been like in the films, starting in film two. If Maguire doesn't sign back on for the role, I hope they choose an actor who can exude that sort of attitude.

[pitfallharry]

Steve, I totally agree with you. I think Maguire's Peter Parker should have evolved since the first film some. It's like he's stuck in the Lee / Ditko era. By the time Peter reached college in the books he was riding a real motorcycle and wearing a leather jacket. He was dating Gwen and was still very smart but he was also a little older, wiser and dare I say tougher.

I think this third film should have opened with him and Mj actually living together and they should have moved him out of that apartment. It should have been closer to the way they were portrayed in the 90's when Venom was introduced.

I really liked the movie and I don't think it deserves the pounding it's been getting by some of the critics and the "fans". Would I have done things differently if I wrote it......yes.

Things to do with Harry would have been answered. Stuff like the Goblin formula not driving Harry nuts like it did Norman. The butler wouldn't have come in at the last minute with that speach either.

[Ragingblues]

Summer 2007 movies I am looking forward to seeing:

Spiderman 3 (We saw it opening day)
Shrek The Third
Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix
Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer
Transformers
Live Free Or Die Hard
The Simpsons Movie

Since funds are tight, we may wind up seeing most of these when they hit DVD . But, I wanted to see how many others here were interested in the same movies. Did I miss any summer flicks you are looking forward to?

Ken

[pitfallharry]

Well, I've seen Spidey 3 twice now. I took my wife and kids last weekend to see it. I saw it by myself opening weekend.

I went and saw Shrek 3 it's opening weekend as well. I just never got around on posting what I thought of it. My kids didn't care for the first two films. We have them on DVD and they watch them for a little bit and the get bored. I've seen all 3 at the theater and I really enjoyed the first two. This latest one just wasn't that great. The CGI Animation was fantastic as always......it just wasn't that funny and the plot was lame. It really felt like Myers, Murphey and Diaz were just there to collect a check. I'll be surprised if this one doesn't take a heavy dive at the box office this weekend.

My wife and I just went and saw POTC : At Worlds End tonight. I liked it. If you didn't like the other two then you won't like this one. If you did and have the other two on DVD watch them both before going to see this one.......trust me it helps! Also, stay and wait for the scene after the credits. All three films have one and this one is actually the most important. My wife enjoyed the film up until the end. She didn't like how certain characters ended up.....in fact the final scene after the credits ties into the fate of these characters. This one isn't as funny as the other two, but......it's still a great ride and the final battle is worth the price of admission. Oh, and yes it does leave it wide open if they want to make more which I'm sure they will. So expect to see POTC 4 going head to head with Spidey 4 a few summers from now.

Other films I'm wanting to see this summer :

Live Free or Die Hard
Fantastic Four : Rise of the Silver Surfer
Transformers
The Simpsons.