Movie Review Mayhem.

Not only was it Pride Week, but I actually watched a few movies. Four to be exact. To spare some time, I’ll just give each of them short reviews since some were mediocre, others intriguing, and one actually a re-watch.

Transformers 2 (2009): Quality in Disguise.

Wow. This movie takes that saying for pretty much “all blockbuster action with a mediocre plot.” The good robots return to fight the bad robots (with an ancient robot species) to fight to save the Earth. This is all happening while Shia LaBeouf’s character juggles Megan Fox and college life. Like I said, the movie wasn’t that great because everything from the plot to the locations were all over the place. Nothing really connected cohesively. The first movie was better because the premise was simple enough as they took the ordinary (suburban geek boy) into the extraordinary (alien robot cars). It’s still a funny movie, but with a time length that lasts for 2 ½ hours long.

Into The Wild (2007): Introspective Adventure

I’ve wanted to watch this film for a very, very long time. The movie was directed by Sean Penn based on Jon Krakauer’s best-selling non-fiction novel about a boy (Emile Hirsch) that gives up everything to explore the wilderness in a two-year span. As a basic spoiler, the young man dies in the end, but it’s his journey that truly beautiful. He meets an array of interesting characters from Dutch tourists to ageless hippies all the while seeing the transcending beauty of nature. I loved it as the cinematography was beautiful while the acting was authentically emotional.

Alfie (2004): Stylish Cad In Manhattan

I saw this movie when it came out back in 2004, and I wanted to re-watch it, but it took me forever to look for the film. I went everywhere from Borders to Best Buy to FYE to Suncoast: nothing. So I rented it instead. He’s a stylish man who lives a hedonistic lifestyle and is afraid to commit. He breaks the fourth wall numerous times, so the intimacy with the character feels natural. One of the best features of the film are the bevy of beautiful women from the chic Sienna Miller to the voluptuous Nia Long to the girl-next-door Marisa Tomei to the over 50 sex-pot Susan Sarandon.  The cinematography is also a treat as it accentuates the Manhattan surroundings and the main actor, Jude Law, and his features (a role perfectly tailored for him even if it is a remake of Michael Caine’s 1966 film). Loved it a second time, as you just want to have a good time.

High School Musical 3 (2008): Finally, It’s Over.

High School Musical 3 is, in my opinion, okay. Okay always means that the product borderlines on average, but really not that great. The first High School Musical was an awesomely bad television musical while the second was good on its own merits because it bombarded the audience with Prozac, neon colors. The third installment would have been okay if it wasn’t in theaters. A bit pointless as it plays a long over-driven episode on the Disney channel. The setting is high school so that means whiny “bitch” teenage problems, graduation, final prom, and everything centering on basketball. But still, it had its catchy, infectious songs and over-the-top dance sets. Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Corbin Bleu, Ashley Tishdale, Monique Coleman, and Lucas Gabreel do cheesy acting, but fine singing. These characters should really venture into the real world. So, yeah: Finally.

A Quick Recap On Big Weekend Events.

This past weekend had some world-changing news with four celebrity deaths: famous Johnny Carson sidekick Ed McMahon died at the age of 86, Oxiclean salesperson Billy Mays died at the age of 50, Charlie’s Angels superstar Farrah Fawcett died of breast cancer at the age of 62, and the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson, died at the age of 50. While all of these deaths are overwhelming, I feel sad for Farrah’s death because of the breast cancer and family issues. While Michael Jackson’s death stole her thunder, the upcoming days will truly be a circus. E! News correspondent Giuliana De Pandi (I know she got married as Rancic, but really, it’s irrelevant) started comparing Michael’s life with Anna Nicole Smith’s tragic death. Oh dear.

On a side note, it is the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, meaning it’s Pride Week. The past two days have been crazy at the Castro (especially with the reopening of The Café). In light of Prop 8 removing our rights to marriage, it’s great to know all the accomplishments the LGBT community has made in the past 40 years: recognition of our kind in governmental positions, the removal of homosexuality as a mental disorder, Harvey Milk, and LGBT portrayals in the entertainment industry (look up Brokeback Mountain and Queer as Folk as fantastic examples). It’s great to be living in San Francisco: the world’s gay mecca.

Groovin’ 60s Comics Pop Art Décor.

Marvel Romance forced me to look up other works in the superhero genre. It was that seductive! And I really wanted to check out two artists in particular: John Romita Sr. and Jim Steranko. And with my free time to read various books came when I had my Texas trip, I think it was a good time to catch up on the grooving 60s hits as they tackle Spiderman and Nick Fury. I was going to review the second volume of Classic X-Men (25-53), but that will be a while.

John Romita Sr: The Amazing Spiderman

Artist Steve Ditko was the original artist for the Amazing Spiderman, but when John Romita took over art duties, it was a whole different game. Really, he romanticized the personal life of Spiderman as he tackles balancing his superhero life with love and family. The looks of the characters are classic and very refined with Peter Parker very suave while the women were flawless beauties (Betty Brant, Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy). And unlike the first volume of Spiderman  (which I read and thought it was blah), Stan Lee antes up the pathos with life-altering events: the unmasking Spiderman and the Green Goblin, saving frail Aunt May, quitting as Spiderman, introduction of the crime lord the Kingpin, 60s and Vietnam protests, and even an appearance of Doctor Strange.  Each proceeding issue progresses with fantastic storytelling and lovely art. This trade paperback makes me want to pick up the rest of the issues in between.

Collects Amazing Spiderman 39-42, 50, 68-69, 108-109

Jim Steranko: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Jim Steranko is highly regarded an influential figure in the comics medium. He’s visually shown a progression of surreal visual storytelling as he focuses on Marvel’s own secret agent, Nick Fury. The tales are pretty hokey and absurd as Fury fights off with evil organizations (Hydra and A.I.M.) and their masters (Baron Von Strucker and the Yellow Claw), but the beauty lies in the art with psychedelic formatting, twisted angles, and Dali-inspired art. It’s the 60s, so it’s very James Bond-inspired spy-esque. The only feature laughable is that the high tech gadgetry is really outdated: anti-gravity belt? transfer car? pro pel pak? transporting beam suction? There were great moments, especially with a first appearance of Countess Val and Captain America. If you can survive the absurdity, enjoy the swingin’ 60s art.

Collects Strange Tales #150-167