It’s been far too long since we chatted. So let’s catch up shall we?
Mild Mannered, my new web series, is on it’s way. We have two days of filming done, and we are just getting started. It’s been a really wonderful experience. If you haven’t been to the website yet then check it out now. I’ll wait www.mildmanneredtheshow.com
But just in case you are too lazy to click that link, I’ll embed a little behind the scenes video I cut of the first day of the production. I plan on having one of these posted for every shoot. And a new behind the scenes vid should be posted on the site later today.
So how appropriate that there is a ton of Superhero cinema news in the world.
SUPERMAN LIVES
Zack Snyder has been hired to direct the new Superman film. And I’m not really sure how I feel about it. Christopher Nolan was responsible for getting the project off the ground which is a definite plus. But beyond that I’m not sure how much involvement he’ll have. The script is written by David Goyer, who is incredibly hit and miss. His work with Nolan has been his best stuff though. But thank god Goyer isn’t directing it. Blade Trinity or the Unborn anyone?
But Snyder is the true wild card. He has yet to make anything that resonates beyond his admittedly cool visual style. Snyders time ramping fetish could be pretty spectacular in a Superman film. I just hope he can bring the substance as well as the spectacle. His Watchmen film is a hollow mess. So obsessed at being faithful to the source material that it actually misses the whole point of it. But I did really enjoy his animated film The Legend of the Guardians. Though being and animated film, it’s hard to tell if Snyder was responsible for the heart that film has an abundance of. Hopefully the script is good. Nolan liked Goyers take enough to use his clout at warner brothers to get it made. But at this point I have absolutely no idea what to expect. Either way, it has to be better than Superman Returns. Right? Wowzers. The point is, Superman has to have heart and I’m just not sure Snyder can supply that. But I sincerely hope I am wrong.
HERE COME THE AVENGERS
Marvel has begun they’re marketing blitz with both Thor and Captain America on the horizon. It’s a very surreal time for comic book fans. We’re used to siting in our rooms, pitching our perfect versions of films for characters that we figured would never get their own films. Let alone giant Hollywood tent-pole style movies. But here we are with new footage from each film. And my thoughts? Because I know you care so much 
Well the initial footage and teaser for Thor looked a little silly. It’s hard to pull off big Shakespearean like gravitas in a superhero film. Donner just barely managed to make it work in Superman. But the second trailer for Thor sets up a lot more humor and broadened the scope enough to make me curious. It doesn’t seem like a complete homerun, but did we ever imagine a Thor movie would be?
Captain America on the other hand looks like a heck of a lot of fun. Which is surprising. I’ve never been a fan of the character in the comics. People often complain about Superman being a big boyscout but I always thought Captain America was worse. Plus this could take a slant towards the annoyingly patriotic. The kind that boasts an almost propoganda like pride in whatever American ideals we have labeled ourselves with this week. But I’m pretty pleased they decided to go with the ww2 setting. And this superbowl ad sells the movie as a high adventure film ala Raiders of the Lost Ark. It also sells a focus on the man more than the symbol which is always the key to a great superhero film.
I like Chris Evans. I like the look of the film. And Joss Whedon did a pass on the script. So suddenly Captain America is one of my must see films. Who would have thought that? Plus it has the Tucci!
Also, they should have just released the below trailer. Propaganda or not, it would have kicked ass.
We also saw the release of the X-men First Class trailer.
It’s a prequel (boo) directed by the guy who made Kick-Ass (double-boo) and was allegedly rushed into production (did any of the X-men films actually go through pre-production?) The trailer is interesting, but I already hate the fact that the marketing relies heavily on knowing the other films. Hopefully it works as it’s own movie, but it’s hard to enjoy a film when you already know where the characters are going. So will anyone be surprised when Magneto betrays his friends and becomes a villain?
GREEN MEANS STOP
The Green Hornet is a prime example of why most action-adventure-comedies don’t work. The comedy in these films usually goes broad, which undercuts the realism of the situations. Once that realism is shattered in scenes that are designed to make you laugh, but also don’t make sense in the real world, it’s difficult to bring the tone back to a place of true peril. And a true sense of danger is what makes action exciting. That’s the real problem, most people value the humor over the action. But they actually need to coexist. If the Green Hornet chose to be a straight comedy, then it would have no need for an action packed third act. Or at least one that attempts to be as straightforward. Chose your world, and stick to it. Films like Lethal Weapon and Die Hard work well because they ground the humor in some sense of reality (this is of course not counting their sequels which inevitably suffer from this very problem). It’s that reality that makes the stakes real. It’s not always necessary, but I think any film should have a very clear sense of what the end product is. Are we a comedy with action, or are we an action comedy? Take Hott Fuzz for example. At no point does it stop being a comedy. There is action, but it’s always played for the joke. And ultimately it knows this. Shootouts are punctuated by funny almost self aware one liners and sight gags. Car chases have geese. The action is meant to be part of the comedy. It’s a film The Green Hornet could have learned a lot from.
Seth Rogen’s Script with Evan Goldberg is really tone deaf in this regard. It’s a film about a rich kid who decides to fight crime for the simple reason of doing something with his life. I get the concept they were going for. A superhero film that also plays as a buddy comedy of sorts. And their ideas of playing with the notions of sidekicks who are better than the heroes is a really fun one. Having Rogen be the lesser of the two seems like the perfect idea. Imagine Rogen chatting up a storm as his kick ass sidekick does most of the work. But you still have to understand and believe why Rogen would want to do this and that he ultimately could. This never happens. Nor do we even get any sort of arc for the Green Hornet. Heck, most origin films come standard with this. The road to becoming a superhero is, if nothing else, a pre-packaged arc. The character starts out normal and ends a hero. But Rogen is the same guy the whole movie. Sure he goes through the motions, but dramatically we never feel it. He never learns anything, or improves. He’s a straight line.
Michel Gondry directed this film, but you wouldn’t know it save for a few touches here or there. And the real shame is that there a few moments where it works. Moments where the Green Hornet and Kato are gleeful in the destruction they get to cause. And during those moments you realize that had they got the formula right, The Green Hornet could have been a very fun and unique film. But it would have taken someone with an understanding of tone to re-work the story so that Rogen’s douchey character went through an actual change, so that by the films fun ending, it mattered. the results here feel like Seth Rogen playing an action hero, but not being one.
