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Marvelous Chicago Style Wednesday
Finally, we have arrived in May. My favorite month of the year. Good movies (Spidey and Episode 2), nice temperature, the long weekend etc... Does it get any better then this? Maybe... Today, we've got a review of Spider-Man and a short tid-bit on Hulk. Some more good stuff to come this month. Got myself the Jerry Maguire SE DVD yesterday. WOW! It's amazing, can't wait to find the time to fully discover everything. If you're a Cameron Crowe fan, you need to buy this. Chicago Style!!!
Spider-Man Review
"In the world of comic books if you are a victim in a scientific experiment two things are bound to happen: 1) You inherit great powers and become a super hero. 2) You inherit great powers, go insane and become a super villain. Such is the case in the movie Spider-Man, a fun filled, fast paced action film directed by Sam Raimi.
All super heroes have a complex history and Spider-Man is no exception. At the film's beginning the audience is introduced to Peter Parker, a somewhat nerdy high school student who is constantly the target of bullies. Like most unpopular students, Peter is in love with the most popular high school girl, Mary Jane. As in the case of most high school dramas, Peter has a hard time talking to Mary Jane. However, one day on a field trip he works up the nerve to talk to her. While taking her picture for the school paper, Peter is bitten by a spider. Not just an ordinary spider, but a mutant, radioactive spider. Pretty soon, Peter starts going through some odd changes. He no longer needs glasses and over night has grown muscles. His sudden change worries his Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Peter soon realizes he can use these powers much to his advantage, especially when in terms of making money. However, he soon realize that 'with great power, comes great responsibility.' These words will haunt him for the rest of his life.
Meanwhile, Norman Osborn, the father of Peter's friend Harry, is going through a few life changes as well. He works at a scientific institute that develops weapons for the army. However, if he doesn't test one experiment soon, his company might go out of business. Norman decides to make himself the guinea pig in a very dangerous experiment. The result: He develops a psychopathic split personality called The Green Goblin. It's only a matter of time before The Green Goblin and Spider-Man meet up.
There have been lots of protests from various people that Tobey Maguire is too "nerdy" to play the role of Spider-Man. However, I think that is the very reason why Tobey Maguire is perfect for the role. In the old comic books, Peter Parker was a nerd that gets made fun of by his fellow classmates. He was not a well liked football player who was popular among the girls. Tobey Maguire is excellent in the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Unlike most actors who play comic book characters, he manages to make Peter Parker/Spider-Man a compelling human being. The reason why this film succeeds quite well is that it manages to bring Spider-Man down to a more human level. He may have super strength, but he has emotions as well. Willem Dafoe is perfect in the role of Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin. He makes the character of Norman Osborn sympathetic and creepy at the same time. The supporting cast, particularly Kirsten Dunst, do first rate jobs in their characterizations.
Spider-Man is not a perfect film. It's filled with a few bad one liners and the effects some times border on over kill. But for the most part Spider-Man is an entertaining film that lives up to the hype surrounding it."
(Review sent by 'Goggins'.)
Hulk Shooting Report
Here's a brief report from San-Francisco on the shooting of Hulk:
"I was the extra who sent in the report from the Matrix sequels shooting last summer. Yesterday, they had me come in to play an undergraduate (there were about 30) on Hulk. There were 'professors' (10?) and 'graduate students' (10?) as well. After waiting around the whole day (7 hrs), they told us we weren't needed. Most of the extras seemed to be completely ignorant of the cast. Ang Lee was ate in the Lawrence Berkeley Lab Cafeteria with us (he didn't sit with us, but he was there). The students at the Lawrence labs seemed amused, and the staff and faculty slightly irritated. They told us not to wear purple or green. Oh- you know how the Matrix sequels were called Burlyman? Well, they called this BGP. I thought it was Big Green Party or Big Green Picnic, but it's actually Big Green Productions. I prefer Picnic, myself."
(Scoop sent by 'Bunbun'.)
Stay tuned...
That's all folks...
Jean-François Allaire (aka DeadPool)
Questions, comments, praise etc. Email me at deadpool@tnmc.org
Jean-François Allaire is TNMC's first columnist. At only 24 years old he has become a respected entertainment journalist, with his columns appearing in Corona's Coming Attractions and Scr(i)pt magazine. He also writes a monthly column in Screenwriters Monthly entitled 'The Last Word.' Hailing from Montreal this young writer is determined to dig up all the details on the movies before they hit your local theater. If you're part of a movie production then you really need to be talking to him.
