Scott Pilgrim Rocks

I just got back from seeing "Scott Pilgrim VS the World" and had to at least try to briefly articulate why I still feel so happy.

I'll first admit that I was already looking forward to the movie. The trailers piqued my interest, and I had a cursory acquaintance with the graphic novels on which the movie was based. But trailers are meant to "over-hype" their respective movies, and we all know that--besides some notable exceptions--book-to-film adaptations have a tendency to be rather disappointing. Despite those trends, this movie was awesome.

For a video game appreciating, indie band loving, Torontophile like myself, "Pilgrim" offered absolutely everything my greedy inner geek desired. Countless explicit and implicit video game references, well-choreographed over-the-top fight sequences, excellent dialogue, well-developed major (and minor!) characters and on-site scenes from all around Toronto kept me hooked the entire time. Every scene served a purpose and advanced the plot, allowing the film to dive deeper into the incredible array of characters while avoiding the two possible extremes of a narrative long-windedness or a sense of being rushed. The casting and subsequent performance by the actors both delivered exactly what the story called for. The "shiny" action sequences, complete with their anime-like effects, were as polished and well-crafted as the entire movie.

A perfect movie? No. But I definitely left satisfied and smiling.

1,000,000 points!

The Green Hornet!

I'm a sucker for superhero movies. You can basically bank on the fact that if a new superhero movie is being released, I'll be there on opening night, and if it's still in production I'm reading about it. It's not true across the board of course (Jonah Hex??), but it's a pretty safe bet. I just love 'em.

There's something satisfying about seeing a comic book character "translated" to the big screen, whether it's done well or not. If nothing else, it gives me something to critique and an opportunity to be creative: "How would I have made that film better?" But it's enormously satisfying to see it done right (The Dark Knight, for instance), and even more satisfying when the filmmaker knows the character well enough to surprise you.


That, of course, is also why I'm a sucker... superhero movies have a tendency to be over simplistic and one-dimensional.  A lot of the time it feels like I'm an addict standing at the slot machines, mumbling "maybe this time I'll get what I'm paying for, maybe this time I'll win big."

A lesser known superhero will be making a comeback in January of next year: The Green Hornet. I've been following the production of this film for quite some time and, quite frankly, don't know why I'm so obsessed over it. As superheroes go, The Green Hornet is kinda lame: his superpowers basically consist of 1) his vast wealth and 2) his sidekick, Kato. I think the source of my otherwise inexplicable fandom is that I was introduced to the Green Hornet while I was still a kid, perhaps leading to the following rationalization: (A) The Green Hornet is a superhero (B) Superheroes are awesome (C) Therefore the Green Hornet is awesome. (When you consider that Superman and Spider-Man are also superheroes, the weak premise is clearly A.)

But I can't fight it. I'm excited to see this movie.

And here's the trailer, for your viewing pleasure: