10 Best Comic Book Films. (Part 2)

I've finally gotten to part 2 of this post and thankfully you guy's will be able to see my top 5 comic book films.

04. Sin City (Unrated Editions)

For the trailer see my previous post. 

The reason this differs from the original is simply because it feels almost like seeing a different movie. I loved that this hews closer to the graphic novel and feels almost as though you're watch Frank Miller's comics come to life. I loved Brittany Murphy in these stories and I adored the small aesthetic steps Rodriguez used to add his own flavor into an already established and loved graphic novel series, sadly he hasn't done anything good since.

03. X-2: X-Men United

From the intro, to the character growth, to the acting, directing and the script I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Where the first one seemed to lack and come off a little pretentious this one makes up with an amazing story, and even more amazing special effects. This movie is brilliant and beautiful, Bryan Singer really outdid himself with this film, the subdued performances from the leads was the very definition of ensemble acting, everyone complimented one another's style and gravitas. Far superior to the original and even more thought provoking, seeing Singer use "Mutants" as a symbol for the persecutions of many minorities (homosexuality, black, hispanic, Jewish, etc.) was both smart and well played. This is one of the best sequels to a film I've ever seen, in fact the only other sequel that lives up to and exceeds it's predecessor is...

02. Batman Returns

This is the pinnacle of what a Batman film should be, and not just a Batman film but also a sequel. This film, this masterpiece is not without it's flaws, but it almost makes Batman a secondary character. You're forced into the psyches of two mentally unstable people, Oswald Cobblepot and Selena Kyle, played impeccably by Michelle Pfiffer and Danny Devito. Whereas the first film was the Bruce Wayne/Batman introduction film you're left with a villain that is more comical than menacing, more caricature than character. Breathing new life into their characters Pfiffer and Devito became their characters and to this day I have no way of seeing how these characters can ever be recreated. Take notes Ms. Hathaway, you have a huge burden not to suck as Selena Kyle in Nolan's next Batman film.

01. A History of Violence

 Oh where do I even start with this film. This is a pure masterpiece, to me this is every bit as good as it's original source. The subtleties in the directing, the total believability in the actors and the complicated and complex story makes this one of the best adaptations to date. Watching this film was pure bliss and left me with this sense of wonder, not knowing that this was a graphic novel beforehand only made it that much better. It stands on it's own and also as a companion to it's source.

10 Best Comic Book Films. (Part 1)

So in an attempt to make my blog more fun and less gloomy, I'm taking a page from my friend Maryanne and making a list, this is a list of my 10 favorite comic book movies, either animated or live action. Here goes nothing.

10. The Spirit

When I first say this in theaters my first reaction was "This is a poor man's version of Sin City." But after watching the film again for the second time, this time at home, I realized this was a remarkable film to watch. I loved that Frank Miller took a work that wasn't his and ultimately Miller-ized it. The voiceover was over the top and a bit tongue-in-cheek but it was all fun. And you know what I really enjoyed Samuel L. Jackson's character, I loved that it perfectly embodied his range as an actor (which is a bit limited). This movie has some faults and that's why it's not my number 1 film.

09. Wonder Woman

You know after watching this it made me really love the idea that DC has leap frogged Marvel Comics when it comes to animated features. I mean this was just an amazing idea, it's an origins story that's so well thought out and beautiful it almost makes you fall in love with Wonder Woman again (although I still have a problem with the fact that she can fly sometimes and other times she has an invisible jet). The voice acting is incredible, Kerry Russell will never be a perfect embodiment of WW, she doesn't have the bravado or the physicality, but her voice is top notch casting, all the voice acting is good it elevates the film from straight-to-dvd garbage to a legitimate super hero film.

08./07. Superman/Batman Apocalypse & Superman/Batman Public Enemies

Where do I begin? I love the idea of having two of DC Comics most famous characters on not one but two films is incredible. Although I've been posting more and more DC comic films as my favorites you should no I am not a fan of DC or it's universe. The characters are all stuck in a reality that doesn't exist. The most exciting prospect of these 2 films is that the story is never stale or uninteresting. It is always compelling and interesting, some parts fill as though they are just filler, which is always a bad thing but the story is compelling and I love that they have interconnecting storylines, one takes place almost directly after the other. My only problem is the animation, I feel as though they draw Superman too feminine and batman too masculine (which here isn't a bad thing). Still these are amazing animated films

to watch.

06. Punisher: War Zone

First off this is a bad film, I know it and I'm pretty sure you know it, but I love the idea that the story had evolved and became darker than it's predecessor. If I had to grade this film it would probably be a C- but still I enjoyed it. Bad acting, bad script and all.

05. Sin City (Original Theatrical Version)

Sin City will be on my list twice for this version and for the unrated dvd version (which will be placed much higher the second time around). This was a solid film, completely original at the time and the acting was top notch. I was a little wary about Robert Rodriguez directing, but when you have the original author/illustrator on board then there's nothing that can go wrong. To steal from film critics this was a visual stunning masterpiece. Robert Rodriguez has yet to make anything that is remotely as good as this. It truly saddens me that so much time has passed without any concrete word on a sequel, and the death of Britney Murphy who was a magnificent Shelly saddens me, maybe this will just have to live on as an excellent single film but none the less it was profound.

Note: This is only part 1 and part 2 will be added sometime later today or maybe sometime tomorrow, but feel free to critique and disagree if you like.

Race to Witch Mountain

Is it possibly for a Disney movie to be the best thing out there right now? I dare say it is, aside from The Last House on the Left, I feel this was a pretty adequate movie. It had a story, it had action and it was downright fun. The Rock was extraordinary, and Carla Gugino reminded me that she is an actress who can perform in movies with her clothes on. I loved this movie. Although some parts were convoluted it was a welcome surprise that they left most of the science jargon to a minimum. The Rock is beginning to fit into the family friendly movie roll quite comfortably. And it doesn't bring down his street cred one bit.