The Age of Superheroes

 

I went to see the second Captain America movie the other day, and I must admit, being a comic book nerd who has read too many comic books lately, this is a great time for Superhero movies.  The technology has caught up with our imagination, allowing for some pretty amazing scenes.  It is certainly a far cry from when I was young.

I grew up watching the campy  Adam West Batman series.  I enjoyed it then, and have a deeper appreciation for it now.  It certainly can't compare to what we've been treated to lately, but it managed to work in a low tech era.  Not forgetting of course that Julie Newmar was a fantastic Catwoman. (Anne Hathaway looks great too.)

Other attempts to bring the heroes to the big or small screen were less successful.  Those Captain America movies were pretty bad.  The Spiderman TV series was.... well, let's just say I can't watch them again.

Animation did a much better job of capturing my heroes than live action film did.  Though looking back on it, sometimes the effort just wasn't there.  I guess most network executives were trying to sell toys and sugary cereals rather than bring the best to Saturday morning television.

 

I have enjoyed most of the recent comic book movies.  Green Lantern didn't really work for me, but I have a special fondness for that character that is often disappointed.  I guess I just like science fiction concepts too much, and can't bear it when they just aren't treated as reverently as I would like.  There is so much potential..... but I guess that's all that it really is.

Like most "nerds" out there, I am eagerly anticipating the next Avengers movie.  It's going to be more than a year away, but at least I have the next Xmen movie to tide me over. 

Books or Movies

Books or movies.  I love both.  Each of them have great qualities.  However, I am most often confronted with the fact that books are better than movies.  Books are pictures for the mind, while movies are most often pictures for the eyes.

Perhaps it really isn't fair to compare the two.  Books can have many hundreds of pages to explore a topic, to describe and to present a story.  Movies have a limited time span.  They've got to get their message out in less than 2 hours usually.  This is true.  I must point out, however, that movies benefit from music and sound effects.  While this may seem small, I can assure you that this is a very important part of a movie.

On the plus side, I have to thank some movies for introducing me to a book. Had I not seen the film, I wouldn't have even heard of the book.  In fact, if I see a decent film, one of the first things I do is get on the internet and see if the movie was based on a book (thank you imdb.com).  If it is, I will try my best to track it down and read it.
Most recently I watched the film Eddie and the Cruisers.  It was quite a good film, with believable characters (Tom Berenger did an especially good job of emoting Paul Newman)\ a compelling storyline and a solid ending.  The soundtrack was quite memorable too.  When I watched the credits I noticed a "based on " credit for the book.  I checked it out of the library later that same day.

The book was good.  It told a straight ahead story that the film followed quite faithfully.  Its tone was a little darker, and its resolution somewhat grittier. but it still worked quite well.  As for a read, it was quite compelling and I finished it rather quickly.

Here is a list of books that I have read (and can remember) that outshone the films they were made into.

A Prayer for Owen Meany

The Time Travelers Wife
About a Boy
The Sun Also Rises

Of course some movies might equal the books they came from.  I think this is true when one thinks of spy novels.  As long as they are done correctly, films, with their shortened storylines, probably make those worlds more accessible.

Here is a list of films I believe were as good as the books they were based on (and didn't stray to far from the original storyline)

The Quiet American

Presumed Innocent
Slumdog Millionaire
Sayonara

the novel Die Hard was based on

As for films that outshone their books (I would have put the Bourne movies in this pile, but when you change the story so much, I refuse to make a comparison) I can only think of one.  The movie Die Hard is based on a book.  A lot of what happens (though not all) comes from the book.  Thanks, in part, to some witty humour, good special effects, and good pacing, the film is much more enjoyable than the book.

If you would like to add any books for films to this list, please do so.

For the Love of Movies

 

I love movies.  I am not really sure how I came to fall in love with movies, but I really like them. When I was young, before we had so many channels, I loved staying up to watch the late movie on TV.  I remember staying up till four o'clock in the morning to watch The Great Escape for the first time.  Now, I can just call it up on demand.  While the task is less satisfying, at least the movie still holds its own.

I like all kinds of movies and genres.  I love science fiction, drama, comedy and action.  I like war movies and kung-fu movies.  I don't care whether they are in colour or in black and white.  There is nothing better than sitting on the couch watching a well made film.

yes, I still have VHS tapes

I don't really have a favourite type of movie, but I am quite fond of Japanese movies. (I know,  big surprise)  When I say that most people think of animated movies (which are also good) like the ones by Hayao Miyazaki.  These movies are great, but they are not my at the top of my list.  I tend to either favour classic samurai movies, some Japanese film noire or modern avant-garde stuff.

Growing up in Canada, I was not exposed to many foreign films.  I had seen a few of the French New Wave films, but not much else.  I remember trying to get someone to go see Nikita with me, and failing miserably.  Most of my friends tastes did not extend to foreign cinema.  In fact, besides Godzilla, I don't think I saw a Japanese film until I had actually lived in Japan.  Once, a friend and I planned to go to a showing of the Seven Samurai, but gave up when we realized that the film would end far to late to catch the subway home.

Winona Ryder

In case you are jealous, rest assured, my Japanese, while pretty good,  does not afford me enough courage to turn off the subtitles.  I have watched lots of TV shows without translation, but movies require a lot of concentration for a far greater amount of time. 

The funniest incident happened to me when I rented Jim Jarmusch's Night on Earth while staying in Japan.  I really wanted to see the movie because Winona Ryder was in it.  I didn't realize, however, that the movie was in three other languages besides English.  This wouldn't have been a problem in Canada because I could have read the subtitles.  In Japan, that meant Japanese subtitles.  At least it seemed like a good movie.

If you've never seen a good Japanese film, I suggest doing a little research and trying one of two out.