tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post202624052094645779..comments2024-03-29T04:19:43.461-05:00Comments on F This Movie!: Movies I Love: Spider-Man (Adam Riske's Take)Patrick Bromleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00771837625286775607noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-12015305415355130002014-05-14T13:36:12.180-05:002014-05-14T13:36:12.180-05:00I mean, not hanging from a building up-side down, ...I mean, not hanging from a building up-side down, but yeah - faces fit together well that way!Solhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03114869401584310369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-21149536637312499982014-05-14T13:24:44.274-05:002014-05-14T13:24:44.274-05:00Has anyone else tried the upside down kiss in real...Has anyone else tried the upside down kiss in real life? It is f-ing awesome! Adam Riskehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01165600746796326821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-10984629145377443402014-05-14T13:15:18.625-05:002014-05-14T13:15:18.625-05:00I still have a lot of affection for Raimi's fi...I still have a lot of affection for Raimi's first <i>Spider-Man</i> - aside from the great character stuff and being fun but still somewhat mature, I feel like it was the first comic book movie to really make good use of CGI to successfully bring the comic book aesthetic in general, and Spider-Man in particular to life.<br /><br />I'd like to watch it again with your perspective in mind - great retroview!Solhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03114869401584310369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-3310017958665045692014-05-14T12:44:54.573-05:002014-05-14T12:44:54.573-05:00That upside-down kiss IS really great, and blows e...That upside-down kiss IS really great, and blows everything in the new movies out of the water in terms of memorable moments, I agree. Even the big developement toward the end of TAS2 pales in comparison to the upside-down kiss.John Murphyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08810774557887719483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-32535128224337768992014-05-14T11:26:01.871-05:002014-05-14T11:26:01.871-05:00In recent years, I have been feeling like the firs...In recent years, I have been feeling like the first Raimi <i>Spider-Man</i> hadn't dated well compared to what we're getting now. I rewatched it after <i>ASM2</i> and was reminded of just how much of it is really great. The second half is still a big mess in terms of plotting (the Green Goblin just shows up and disappears, shows up and disappears, says "Sleeeeeep"), but the movie really knows how to commit to story and theme. I know not everyone loves the series or the casting or Raimi's choices, but I sure do. His affection for Spider-Man is so clear.<br /><br />And not to keep comparing the old series with the new, but for all the talk about the Emma Stone/Andrew Garfield chemistry being one of the best things about the current films (which I agree with), Marc Webb has not created one moment as iconic or memorable as the upside-down kiss. It's incredible.Patrick Bromleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00771837625286775607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-64023967305764154062014-05-14T11:18:50.432-05:002014-05-14T11:18:50.432-05:00Great column, Adam. I especially love that idea of...Great column, Adam. I especially love that idea of how a movie can somehow know us better than we know ourselves. <br /><br />The Joseph Campbell "hero's journey" gets talked about a lot in movies that feature all kinds of heroes, but I think there's a very important "pre-journey" monomyth that is really coming into its own in movies of the past decade of so: it's the process you describe above, where our about-to-be hero not only discovers his unique talent, but needs to learn to control it and decide how to use it, whether to use it, what to give up in order to be able to use it, etc. It's not enough that Harry Potter discovers he is a wizard - he's got to go to school for YEARS to learn what kind of wizard he is, what his real powers are, etc. Popular thinking now rejects that old social model of simply doing what's expected or following a parents' footsteps as a path to happiness - as you point out, in Spiderman that kind of thinking just warps and frustrates Harry. I think movies that explore this "pre-hero" cycle not only offer perspective for the young people experiencing all that (even if, as you say, they don't realize it at the time), they kind of help the society as a whole make peace with this new idea: that Millennials don't just want to find a way to be "special," they NEED to, but that's okay, since going through that process will (presumably) help them do the great things they want to do some day. <br /><br />All this may sound like a really complicated and over-reaching response to you saying you love the Raimi Spiderman, but you lay it out so clearly above that I couldn't help but see parallels to this trend I've been noticing in general. janbottighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00126929026388305201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-28025031455202967872014-05-14T08:24:47.450-05:002014-05-14T08:24:47.450-05:00Seems like it's part Wicked hangover, part gri...Seems like it's part <i>Wicked</i> hangover, part gritty reboot mentality. I understand why comic book fans think they want darker superhero movies: so the hobby they feel secretly ashamed of will be "taken seriously" by a mass audience. I don't know why Disney's jumping on the bandwagon, other than because there's a bandwagon to jump on. <br /><br />Mostly, I'm just mad that <i>Frozen</i> characters are going to be on that dumb <i>Once Upon a Time</i> show. Erichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16442117462054923058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-20147115575237504932014-05-14T07:14:08.014-05:002014-05-14T07:14:08.014-05:00Lol. I'll still see it. I'm surprised that...Lol. I'll still see it. I'm surprised that kids would be excited about it - unless it's being marketed differently on the Disney channel or something. Maybe it's not all that different from how people our age went out to see Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.Adam Riskehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01165600746796326821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-14343634820289658682014-05-14T07:03:01.047-05:002014-05-14T07:03:01.047-05:00Tell me about it! I thought the same thing, but I ...Tell me about it! I thought the same thing, but I think it's for children between 7 and 13. My step-daughter is SUPER excited about that movie because it's a character she recognizes but it feels like a "grown up" movie to her, with action and scary stuff. For someone that age, that's as good as it gets. I told her she can see it when she gets a job.Heath Hollandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03802874033845631338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-32911849580603465862014-05-14T00:28:19.941-05:002014-05-14T00:28:19.941-05:00The Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies are probably my fa...The Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies are probably my favorite superhero movies. 1 is fun as hell, 2 is just all around great, and 3 is a reactionary roller coaster. And while I don't hate the Marc Webb films as much as most, I don't think they get why Peter Parker is so relatable as well as these movies do.Kino Notabihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15852233217962741446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-14548966092708022502014-05-14T00:21:29.109-05:002014-05-14T00:21:29.109-05:00We need more Maleficent. Oh wait, no we don't....We need more Maleficent. Oh wait, no we don't. Who is that movie for?Adam Riskehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01165600746796326821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-13642347442781002262014-05-13T20:52:37.257-05:002014-05-13T20:52:37.257-05:00Though I don't love those Raimi films, I agree...Though I don't love those Raimi films, I agree with this. We could do with a little more "Raimi" in our superhero fare these days.Heath Hollandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03802874033845631338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-74359218213355906012014-05-13T11:54:36.713-05:002014-05-13T11:54:36.713-05:00I haven't taken the opportunity to sit down an...I haven't taken the opportunity to sit down and watch any of them in quite a while, but from my memory, I have a lot of fondness for the Raimi Spider-Man movies as well, including the first one. I love its fun tone, and you make some good points regarding other reasons to enjoy what it was doing, Adam. I think this calls for a rewatch of my own!John Murphyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08810774557887719483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-52452122067934361742014-05-13T08:23:52.918-05:002014-05-13T08:23:52.918-05:00Raimi's Spider-Man movies understand that comi...Raimi's <i>Spider-Man</i> movies understand that comic book styling/fun can be allegory for serious issues. The gritty superhero trend robs the material of its ability to be more than what it's about by going for those issues directly. The result is a disconnect between serious subject matter and silly costumes. My biggest problem with the Nolan Batman movies is Batman himself. Even with the grounded approach to the suit and tech, it's still kind of ridiculous to see a cop having a normal conversation with a dude wearing a cape and mask.Erichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16442117462054923058noreply@blogger.com