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jsmclean01
Reviews
The Walking Dead: Judge, Jury, Executioner (2012)
No Parental Guidance Here...
I really like The Walking Dead, I do. I've even accepted the fact that this season is all about a farmhouse. And a missing girl...who was eventually found in, or rather released out of, the barn of aforementioned farmhouse. I even accepted that it took seven episodes to get to her, even though I felt it was a plot point being dragged out like a Clydesdale plowing a field, it will take a while but it'll get done eventually.
Yet, what I can't stomach, is the character arc poor little Carl is going through, because let's face it, he's fast becoming a major douche. But then again, in this episode, so were most of them. Rick was having a moral dilemma (again),going from passive to aggressive and back again. "Hey, what do you guys think?" seems to be his mantra in this episode. Lori "forgave" him for not murdering (under the justification of "the common good" of the group) someone, which is very creepy in a Lady Macbeth kind of way. And poor little Carl, after being shot for wanting to look at a pretty deer only days earlier, is now up and about and wandering hither and thither, getting into all kinds of strife. This kid is seriously only a puppy and kitten's torture away from becoming serial killer material. I have to agree with an earlier reviewer's question, where are his parents indeed? Lori's answer to parental discipline seems to be limited to "get inside the house" and "go upstairs". If I were Carl, I'd probably run off and grab a gun too, hell, everyone else is, why not him? Andrea is officially never allowed to be on a kids help line, or become a camp counselor. Her sage wisdom to a depressed teen: "hey, if you want to off yourself, have at it".Way to go, Dr Philistine. Shane is a complete nut, but hey, at least he's consistent. Poor old Daryl is now the group's torturer (good work if you can get it), but I still love his redneck ass. T-Dog, what have you done for me lately? Nada. At least Glenn is getting some action, even if it does turn him into a blubbering git. Poor Carol has lost little Sophia, and is now officially on her way to becoming crazier than a bag of cats, even if she says she's not.
And then there's Dale, who has gone from moral mouthpiece of the group to a repetitive parrot that no-one wants to listen to, including me. Sad to see you go, Dale, but apparently that "walker" (why doesn't anyone call them zombies? I forget), like the group, had finally had a gut-full of your preaching, which is, most likely, why he promptly disemboweled you. Or maybe he was just upset at being humiliated by a ten year old psychopath and needed someone to take his anger out on, who can say? At least he had a nice slab of beef for his final meal.
The character I do feel sorry for is poor Randall. Impaled, stitched up, tied up, gagged, blindfolded, thrown in the trunk of a car and left for dead. Then he's saved, only to be tied up again, tortured and then very nearly executed; this is not Randall's week to say the least. The worst of it is, Randall was locked in the boot of that Hyundai for more than 36 miles...with headphones on, and the poor fella didn't even get to pick the music. You should have run when you had the chance Randall, you should have run.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
A New Spin on a (Not So) Old Friend...
I recently attended a preview screening for The Amazing Spider-Man, and it was, without a doubt, an excellent (re-)interpretation of Spider-man's origins. Yet, after the film, I overheard a number of people comparing it to Sam Raimi's "original" trilogy. It's as if by saying that they enjoy this film, people feel they are somehow "betraying" the memory of Raimi's trilogy, which is, of course, nonsense.I love Raimi's efforts, and include Spider-man 2 as one of my favorite (not just superhero) films, but to compare them, particularly in either positive or negative terms, would be, to my mind at least, completely pointless. The Amazing Spider-man stands firmly on its own, yet it could just as easily be placed right alongside Raimi's films, as it in many ways, complements them. I have also read, with interest, a couple of reviews citing thematic similarities between The Amazing Spider-man and the Twilight saga, which is just plain ridiculous. After all, I don't recall seeing Gwen pull a Bella and lock herself in her bedroom for six months (or was it a year? I forget) after her last conversation with Peter, do you? As for those that have "reviewed" the film without even seeing it, well, the less said the better.
Andrew Garfield's portrayal of Peter Parker/Spider-man was just brilliant, his is a character you can empathize with and cheer for, and it was refreshing to see him display some heroic qualities even before he is given his powers by the not-so incy wincy spider. Emma Stone showed great humanity as Gwen Stacy. Sassy, funny and fiercely intelligent, she was an inspired choice to play Spidey's first love. Rhys Ifans was suitably conflicted as Spidey's nemesis. I was also thankful that Dr Connors went through an organic, therefore literal, transformation into the creature, it makes me look forward to seeing how the filmmakers portray other members of Spidey's "rogues gallery" in the future. I would have loved to have seen more of Uncle Ben, because, well, Martin Sheen is just awesome. Sally Field gives us an Aunt May that epitomizes the saying "still waters run deep". She is quietly dignified, and also strangely accepting of the, very traumatic, changes happening around her, particularly when she witnesses, first-hand, the very real consequences to Peter following his new status as both a superhero, and designated vigilante.
For me, what made the story of this particular Spider-man so interesting, was not what was put in the film, but what was left out. I won't spoil it for those that haven't seen it (yet) but part of the appeal of this incarnation of our favorite web-slinger, is that the film leaves out some of the very (canonical) elements that we, as an audience, expect to see in a "traditional" Spidey film, and that's what I loved about it. The filmmakers haven't pandered to what we thought we should (and perhaps feel entitled to) see, but have instead given us something that, like this version of Peter Parker himself, is both familiar, and yet completely new at the same time. It subverted my expectations whilst also satisfying those that I already had when I entered the cinema. Because of this experience, I left the film both surprised and elated, with my mind already running through what may, or may not, happen in the next installment. The Amazing Spider-man feels like it is one part of a greater story, and I, for one, eagerly await the next chapter.
There is a lot in The Amazing Spider-man to enjoy, for fans of Raimi's trilogy, to readers of the comics (of which I count myself as one) as well as cinema goers in general. I wont go so far as saying that there's something here for everyone, because that's just wishful thinking. What I will say is this, if you leave your ideas of what a Spider-man film should, or should not, be (or even what has been) at the door, there is a lot to savor, appreciate and even marvel at, in this interpretation of one of our most iconic characters.