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[Thad]

Well, yes.  And Captain America is still a few weeks off.

My point is that Iron Man, Thor, and Green Lantern are B-list -- or at least they were until they got Hollywood blockbusters.  (Daredevil got a Hollywood blockbuster and is STILL B-list.  Blade got three movies and a TV series and is still C-list.)  Hell, Catwoman is a more recognizable character than any of them, regardless of the quality of her movie.

Basically we ran out of (most of) the big names years ago and as long as there are characters like Elektra and Ghost Rider to make movies out of, you can expect this to take awhile.

[Lottel]

(Daredevil got a Hollywood blockbuster and is STILL B-list. 

I guess it depends on your definition of "blockbuster"

[Thad]

Is there a definition that excludes $102M domestic gross on a $78M budget?

Granted it's no Michael Bay shlockfest, but those seem like pretty decent numbers.  Particularly for a mid-February release.

Fantastic Four 2, by contrast, barely made up its budget domestically, and Superman Returns came up $70M short.

[Saturn]

Well, yes.  And Captain America is still a few weeks off.

My point is that Iron Man, Thor, and Green Lantern are B-list -- or at least they were until they got Hollywood blockbusters.  (Daredevil got a Hollywood blockbuster and is STILL B-list.  Blade got three movies and a TV series and is still C-list.)  Hell, Catwoman is a more recognizable character than any of them, regardless of the quality of her movie.

Basically we ran out of (most of) the big names years ago and as long as there are characters like Elektra and Ghost Rider to make movies out of, you can expect this to take awhile.

there's always that giant pile of manga for hollywood to mangle

[Classic]

The American Akira (Coming 2011)

Because people haven't linked to this enough yet.

[Büge]

there's always that giant pile of manga for hollywood to mangle

We're not going to see Battle Angel Alita in our lifetime, that's for darn sure.

[Mongrel]

Japan has already done plenty of mangling on their own, thanks.

[Cthulhu-chan]

But nobody mangles a property like Hollywood!

[Büge]

There will be a sequel to Green Lantern.

[Thad]

I'd say "Of course there is, it pretty much says so right in the ending," but then I remember Masters of the Universe and Super Mario Bros.

[Saturn]

there's always that giant pile of manga for hollywood to mangle

We're not going to see Battle Angel Alita in our lifetime, that's for darn sure.

Current status of that is "AFTER AVATAR 2 AND 3"

[teg]

Current status of that is "AFTER AVATAR 2 AND 3"

We're not going to see Battle Angel Alita in our lifetime, that's for darn sure.

So I went to see both the Brave trailer and Toy Story Shorts: Hawaiian Vacation last night.

The trailer for Brave was a whole new look at Pixar, more atmospheric and dark than their usual work. The trailer really doesn't seem like much at first, but really raises speculations as to what it's going to be about. I think that after some consideration this is the most excited I've ever been for a Pixar film.

Toy Story Shorts: Hawaiian Vacation was a delightful surprise. It's nice to see these characters again in a situation that doesn't diminish the farewell they were given with last year's entry into the franchise. I also admire the permanence of having the toys living at Bonnie's house now instead of doing some kind of Andy-related flashback.
It's a cute short, and maybe even a bit funnier than I'm used to from these movies. There were a few bits that had me actually laughing in the theater, which only rarely happens even when I'm watching comedies, much less multiple times across a single five-minute short. It really speaks volumes of Pixar's ability when they can produce an introduction, conflict, humourous progression, and a touching resolution all in that short timeframe. Don't miss this one.





oh also I guess Cars 2 was there too
it was okay

[Friday]

Just got back from HP: Deathly Hallows part 2.

So, you know how it's really rare that a movie is better than the book?

This is one of those times.

See this movie.

[Disposable Ninja]

I saw Captain America. It was pretty good, in a way that was completely and utterly predictable. I don't even mean that in a bad way or anything. It's just... well, you know he's going to get frozen at the end and wake up in the present. I don't even need to spoiler that. That's what happens.

That's always been what happens.

In fact, the only thing that I didn't expect to see was the Cosmic Cube. And I didn't spoiler THAT because it shows up in the first five minutes.

[Thad]

Oh good, at least my after-the-fact spoilertagging made it a surprise to SOMEbody.

[Thad]

Just got back from HP: Deathly Hallows part 2.

So, you know how it's really rare that a movie is better than the book?

This is one of those times.

It was probably the best of the eight, but I wouldn't go as far as all that.

It DID seem to be the one most cognizant that it was a film and the one that played most strongly to the medium's strengths (with the possible exception of the lovely time-travel story that was Cuaron's Prisoner of Azkaban).  It was a wonderfully lean but thorough presentation of the Battle of Hogwarts, and nearly every supporting character got a moment to shine: Snape, McGonagall, Aberforth, Neville, Luna, Molly.  Fiennes was a real standout.  And the soundtrack was understated instead of over-the-top John Williamsy; it knew when to shut the hell up, get out of the way, and let the actors carry the scene.  (Which they mostly did.  Radcliffe and Watson are still, regrettably, the weakest of the cast, but they're better here than in any of the others.)

The change I liked best was [spoiler]where Harry reveals himself -- having McGonagall step out to defend him was a wonderful reversal from her little-old-lady-in-distress moment in the book, and then we got to see her take Snape on one-on-one[/spoiler].

On the minus side, there wasn't enough for Ron or Hagrid to do (we can blame the latter on Jo but not the former), and Wormtail is left as an unfired Chekov's Gun -- I assumed, when he didn't die in the last movie the way he did in the book, that that was building to something, but now it just looks like his death scene was left on the cutting-room floor.

[Disposable Ninja]

Saw me some Cowboys and Aliens. Pretty decent movie, but considering the name and subject matter, I rather expected a more light-hearted, humorous adventure. Not, you know, Harrison Ford regaling the time when he slit a burned man's throat as an act of mercy when he was 13.

[Friday]

It was probably the best of the eight, but I wouldn't go as far as all that.

I was wondering when you'd get around to replying. The main reason I prefered the movie to the book was I remember the book being incredibly dry with the action scenes. This may be because I am illiterate, I don't know. But the fact remains that the movie felt "alive" to me, while the book, though interesting and well plotted, felt, well, sort of boring. The Battle of Hogwarts seen on the big screen left a huge impression on me, I guess.

It DID seem to be the one most cognizant that it was a film and the one that played most strongly to the medium's strengths (with the possible exception of the lovely time-travel story that was Cuaron's Prisoner of Azkaban).

It was a wonderfully lean but thorough presentation of the Battle of Hogwarts, and nearly every supporting character got a moment to shine: Snape, McGonagall, Aberforth, Neville, Luna, Molly.  Fiennes was a real standout

And the soundtrack was understated instead of over-the-top John Williamsy; it knew when to shut the hell up, get out of the way, and let the actors carry the scene.  (Which they mostly did.  Radcliffe and Watson are still, regrettably, the weakest of the cast, but they're better here than in any of the others.)

The change I liked best was [spoiler]where Harry reveals himself -- having McGonagall step out to defend him was a wonderful reversal from her little-old-lady-in-distress moment in the book, and then we got to see her take Snape on one-on-one.[/spoiler]

Agree with everything above.

Wormtail is left as an unfired Chekov's Gun -- I assumed, when he didn't die in the last movie the way he did in the book, that that was building to something, but now it just looks like his death scene was left on the cutting-room floor.

I think the reason he didn't die the same way he did in the book was possibly censorship. His death is pretty horrible. Lots of stuff like that gets toned down for a visual medium. One thing to read about something horrible, another to see it.

[Friday]

Caught Captain America. I consider it the weakest of the Avengers origin movies, but still worth seeing, I guess. Be warned, almost all of the action is in the second half of the film. (And it's not particularly worth the wait.) Strong points include Tommy Lee Jones, Tommy Lee Jones, and Tommy Lee Jones.

[Thad]

I was wondering when you'd get around to replying.

Back atcha?

I think the reason he didn't die the same way he did in the book was possibly censorship. His death is pretty horrible. Lots of stuff like that gets toned down for a visual medium. One thing to read about something horrible, another to see it.

Then his hand could have drawn his wand and green flashed him.  The strangulation isn't the important part, it's that it's the hand Voldemort gave him doing it.