You got Thor’d

Thor – a movie so jam-packed with people who are better than they’re allowed to be by the film’s standard. Thor is 2011’s second entry into Marvel Studio’s lead up to next year’s Avengers extravaganza following Captain America (and from other years – Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and both Hulk films).

Thor was heralded as a dark and deep super hero film. Helmed by Kenneth Branagh who touted it as the thinking man’s superhero movie, Thor was said to be ‘shakespearean.’ I find this ironic – Shakespeare had like 6 good plays, right? I mean – no one reads his famous plays (they watch the films) but no one really reads his not so famous plays (Cymbeline, anyone?). So I’m not sure Branagh sold me. He said he wanted to show how an old testament god becomes a new testament god (hint it isn’t by hugging it out). I think Branagh is a smart guy (even if he did ass-hole it up by ditching Emma Thompson). I think he did what he could with what he was given.  I’m glad he’ll get paid for Thor 2 even if he’s not directing it. For its own credit I’ll continue (after mentioning Kat Dennings) with Thor’s good points. I saw this movie after teaching a three month unit on Norse mythology. I like mythology. I get mythology. Thor was faithful to the rich stories it appropriates from that world. Branagh’s team creates beautiful images for Asgard and for Jotunheim. Anthony Hopkins is an inspired choice for Odin. I hope they’ll bring him back. Chris Hemsworth is not a bad actor. He’s charismatic and good looking and is as interesting (I think) as the script allows him to be.

Here’s my beef with Thor (you knew it was coming). While this is a movie with some smart streaks in it and a beautifully angelic supporting actress, unlike the Incredible Hulk and Iron Man it does not exist as a stand-alone movie outside of its status as a lead in for the Avengers and, what’s worst, it shows.  I don’t think anyone involved in its production was sure what kind of film this was supposed to be when they started out.  From a narrative standpoint there is never focus on any of its disparate parts which is sufficient to bring them together into a whole. Is it a film about a family tearing itself apart through intrigue? Is it a film about a man who learns humility and heroism? Is it a love story between a human and an alien? Is it part of a multi-film compendium designed to push books made for children too lazy to read? The film doesn’t seem to be sure. I don’t buy Thor’s development. It isn’t clear to me why he’s an asshole at the film’s start and a hero at its end except that its a Marvel film so this must be true. That isn’t enough for me. I don’t understand why Thor and Natalie Portman fell in love. What drew them together? I certainly couldn’t see it in the story. My friend tells me that this isn’t irony but it is a given that in any film or TV show the two most attractive people will end up together and so on down through the film’s strata of characters. I couldn’t argue with him because this explanation was so efficient. That means, however, that Thor and Portaman’s characters are incredibly shallow. Do we really want them to be guardians of the universe?

The absolutely incredible thing about Thor is the group of people who made it. Over the last ten years comic book movies have staked out an interesting place in cinema. They aren’t supposed to be high culture but they are becoming high culture. This film headlines two Academy award winning actors and a director with multiple nominations. It’s not alone. Marvel is spending huge sums employing the most talented actors and directors to make its films. We know Branagh’s not coming back – what about Portman? She’s an academy award winner now. Will she be in Thor 2? Or will they replace her with Meryl Streep or something?

How is Marvel getting away with selling us these films? And, more importantly, why aren’t the films getting more consistently better?

The Wolverine

I loved Scrubs. I even gave its terrible, forced, afterMash-like spin-off a chance despite the original series’ fielding one of the greatest and most satisfying series finales ever. The series was great because for a lot of reasons – but one of the funniest gags on show (and there were so many funny gags on Scrubs) was how characters began anticipating the delivery of other character’s stock personality quirks. The repetition of a joke over and over again can be hilarious but it is smart to anticipate joke fatigue and make a new joke about how tired it is. The instance that occurs to me was how every time John McGinley’s character Dr. Cox would begin ranting about things he hated he would list Hugh Jackman eventually. Magic:

I don’t share Dr. Cox’s sentiments but I think they’re hilariously specific. I believe Jackman is probably a better actor than almost all of his roles. And I’ll give him credit for carrying three X-Men movies on his back as the only actor cast who had any kind of charisma.  I just re-watched X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I have such mixed feelings about it. People spent so much money on it. The sets are incredible. The action is good. Liev Schreiber is a revelation as Sabretooth. When Tyler Mane saw the movie did his heart make a bo-woop sound as his dreams of ever putting on his “I’m Sabretooth” hat again shattered? Ryan Reynolds is in it. He’s not bad at all as Deadpool and evidently they’ll start shooting that spin-off later next year.

Here’s the problem: its the story, stupid. Why couldn’t they have put some money or energy into making the pieces of these movies fit together? Why can Patrick Stewart’s Professor X walk in this movie but James McAvoy’s Professor X can’t in First Class? I’m excited about The Wolverine. I think its going to be entertaining at least, but isn’t it crazy to think that its the 6th X-Men movie ? Weird.

CAPTAIN PLANET!

 

I wish Don Cheadle was in everything.

A Word on Batman

Read my post on Inception. As far as Christopher Nolan goes I haven’t had any of the kool-aid. I don’t think he’s a genius. I think he’s a good filmmaker with some interesting visual ideas who is (like almost every other filmmaker) not afraid to let something like a “terrible story” or “incoherent ideas” get in the the way of his visual ideas. I have mixed feelings about Nolan’s Batman films. I think Christian Bale was a good choice for the Caped Crusader. I thought Heath Ledger was amazing although I still don’t understand how Nolan can expect us to buy that he had planned out everything in the film. Like Inception, the Dark Knight has added words to the language of cinema. The car chase through Chicago’s Emerald City is masterful.

However, like Inception, the Batman series has been hobbled my miscast roles. Aaron Eckhart is not a serious actor. I am almost positive that nothing he does will ever convince me otherwise. His Two-Face is a freakish distraction – an unintimidating weeny with no bite. Does anyone remember Rachel Dawes? A character ‘brought to life’ by two of our worst and most distracting working actresses.

Having said all of that, I think that Batman Begins and the Dark Knight tell a complete, hermetic story about how a legend starts. I thought after my first run through with the Dark Knight that the story was told and that it was explained and complete. When Nolan announced he was working on a third film I thought: shit, the adulation’s gone to his head and now he’s going to undo all the goodwill from those two films. For a while I read the releases that said that he was bringing James McAvoy on as the Riddler and that the movie would be called Kings of Gotham. I thought, “good – Nolan is going to keep pressing the genre – looking for life in a lot of tired ideas.” Keep in mind, after this is the seventh Batman movie in 25 years. That is a lot of Batman. It even seemed like Nolan would pass on it completely and let it be. He gave several interviews where he seemed wary to start.

Then the money trucks must have backed up on his lawn because he got into it in earnest. He cast Captain Picard JR. as Bane and brought on Anne “Queen of the Nerds” Hathaway as Catwoman. Why?  We know he’s in the movie as a Gotham City beat cop but now the most recent news on the internet (thanks i09.com!) is that Joseph Gordon Leavitt will possibly be playing Robin. Sam Raimi gave interview after interview where he swore he would never bring Venom into his Spiderman series and then he did – ruining the franchise. Nolan has similarly stated that Robin does not belong in his stories but we have the rumors on our computer screens and it might be too late. I’ll go see this movie. Just wait. I’ll watch it and complain about how lousy it is next summer – but I had hoped I wouldn’t have to. Time will tell.