Comic Book Movies
The DVD release of Batman Begins is upon us not so long after its successful
theatrical release earlier this year. Hands down Memento director Christopher
Nolan has made the most successful adaptation of this much-loved Marvel comic
character, for the very first time capturing the more brooding, gothic side to
Batman distilled in his graphic novel incarnation of the 1980s, pioneered by
the likes of comic writers/artists Alan Moore and Frank Miller. This more
'adult' side to Batman ultimately eluded Tim Burton when he brought him to the
big screen for the first time in 1989. While his film had its charms and more
significantly turning the blockbuster on its head with an unprecedented
publicity campaign, it didn't do much for the man in tights' reputation other
than further the already camp rap he'd garnered courtesy of the very
tongue-in-cheek 1966-68 Batman TV series. (Blame the Prince's wild score and
Jack Nicholson's Joker, who, while loads of fun as a character, was an
exaggerated 2D creation that didn't quite fit Burton's more gothic
aspirations).
But lets move on from Burton's Batman and the godawful sequels that followed;
Batman Returns (1992), Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997). There
have been some stellar comic book films of late that have taken superheroes,
the art form of comics and comic book language to a brand new level. Not the
least of which being Frank Miller/Robert Rodriguez's Sin City, due out on DVD
in November. And let's not forget a ton of sequels and new comic book movies
are on the way in 2006, from the shot-in-Sydney Superman Returns, the
made-in-Melbourne Ghostrider and Aeon Flux to Hellboy 2, The Punisher 2 and –
can't wait for it – Sin City 2. Let's hope it's as mind-blowing as the first.
- Megan
Megan Spencer has spent way too much of her life in the dark, all for a good
cause though - watching movies as a professional film critic. For the last six
and a half years she has been serving the ever-increasing hunger for film and
DVD reviews as radio triple j's resident film critic, and a year ago joined the
new line up of long-running SBS-TV film review program, The Movie Show.
Every now and then she pops up into the light to make her own films,
documentaries (her latest is 'Fantastic Brutality', a documentary about an
obsessed wrestling fan, to be released next year). She has also written about
film for many publications including J-Mag, Limelight, Inside Film Magazine and
the Age Green Guide.
And the impossible question to ask a film critic: what's her favourite film?
"Blue Velvet would be at the top of the list, so would Fight Club... But then
again American In Paris makes me cry every time."
Megan has also been part of the Foxtel's Project Greenlight Australia as an
on-air panelist and judge.
Who says comic book movies are for kids? Check these out:
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American Splendor (M) 2003
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American Splendor is based on the true saga of a working class everyman, who found love, family and a creative voice through comic books.
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Barbarella (M) 1968
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Barbarella is marked by the same audacity and originality, fantasy, humour, beauty and horror, cruelty and eroticism that make comic books such a favourite. The setting is the planet Lythion in the year 40,000 AD, when Barbarella (Jane Fonda) makes a forced landing while travelling thr...
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Crow, The (MA15+) 1994
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In a world without justice, one man was chosen to protect the innocent. There is a legend that when a soul can't rest, a crow can bring that soul back from the dead, to seek justice and make the wrong things right... In the film which cost him his life, martial arts phenomenon Brandon Lee stars as a...
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Darkman (M) 1990
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Dr. Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson) is on the verge of realizing a major breakthrough in synthetic skin when a gang, led by the sadistic Robert G. Durant (Larry Drake), obliterates his laboratory. Burned beyond recognition and altered by an experimental medical procedure, Westlake attempts to rebuild ...
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From Hell (MA15+) 2001
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While Jack The Ripper ruled the streets of London, terror reigned. His savagery implied insanity, but his diabolical precision argued that there was a method to his madness. Johnny Depp and Heather Graham star in this "engrossing, stylish thriller" (People) . In 1888 London, the unfortunate po...
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Ghost World (M) 2001
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Best friends Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) are two ultra-hip teenagers who are out of synch with the world around them. After graduating high school, Rebecca gets a menial job at a coffee shop while Enid wallows in her miserable worldview — where all jobs are sellouts and n...
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Punisher, The (MA15+) 2004
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Special agent Frank Castle had it all: A loving family, a great life, and an adventurous job. But when his life is taken away from him by a ruthless criminal and his associates, Frank has become reborn. Now serving as judge, jury, and executioner, he's a new kind of vigilante out to wage a one...
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Spider-Man (M) 2002
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Get Ready For The Ultimate Spin!
Peter Parker was a shy, quiet teenager, until he was bitten by a genetically altered spider. Now, with heightened senses and incredible new abilities, he’s become the amazing Spider-Man. Go for the ultimate spin as the comic book legend comes to life wit...
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Spider-Man 2 (M) 2004
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It's been two years since the mild-mannered Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) first began struggling with "the gift and the curse," and in Spider-Man 2, he's still coming to terms with his dual identity as the web-slinging crime superhero Spider-Man. Now Peter's in college, and his relationships with the...
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X-Men (M) 2000
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Born into a world filled with prejudice are children who possess extraordinary and dangerous powers - the result of unique genetic mutations. Cyclops unleashes bolts of energy from his eyes. Storm can manipulate the weather at will. Rogue absorbs the life force of anyone she touches. But under the t...
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