Vikki on Film

Went to the cinemas today with the mini me and her friends as an Easter treat. Was absolutely brilliant and cannot believe how well this film worked in 3-D, think it has to be down to the animation style that Aardman use.

However since my name is Victoria my little girl is now convinced that I am the queen and I like to eat endangered species…

DO I REALLY LOOK LIKE THIS PEOPLE!!!! COME ON!!!!

Feel awful as I haven’t blogged in a while butbeenhaving massive issues with the net but all good now…

Anyway…

Decided that it is time to get working on this professional such I’ve been brooding on, just need to get someone to like my writings and employ me :-P

Any takers??

Just made my module choices for my final year of university and cannot wait now!!

Doing:

Creative Writing Portfolio for dissertation

Contempary American Horror Films

Page, Stage and Screen

Epic, Blockbusters and Spectaculars

Shakespearean Drama

Conflict, Censorship and Scandal

Digital Fiction

Just need to get through the rest of this year, which is actually very pleasant so far :-)

Laters taters

Oh my goodness!!! I think I am addicted!! I honestly cannot express how much I am enjoying this new site!

For anyone with anyform of filmic passion it really is the place to go. You can list all the films that you have seen by keeping an online diary or just listing them, you can rate and review and follow you friends too!

If you want to fine me my tag is the same as here and Twitter.

All I can say is hurry up and get the phone app out please Letterboxd!!!

Here we go then, my top ten of comic book movie adaptation fails… I know that there will be people who disagree with this and I will probably get some stick for one of the choices but please remember I do not necessarily not like these films on this list!!!

10. Daredevil (2003)

When it comes to plot and storyline, albeit hard to believe, we are saved from the how ‘super-hero’ cliches and see more a more of heightened senses from a tragic accident. However I think when it comes to comic book adaptations this one fails becuase it was released to close to a comic book success (2002’s Spiderman) and was over shadowed by it. When is comes to cast it is possible to say that for acting talent, apart from Defoe as the Green Goblin, Daredevil won. Unfortunately though due to the bigger existing fan base and better marketing campaign it lost out in the long run… But instead of learning from the pretty bleak performance of Daredevil they decided to make entry number 9…

9. Elektra (2005)

Well if at first you dont succeed make a sequel that is an even worse flop as they always say. And flop it did indeed, just like a Magikarp (sorry for the Pokemon reference there). In this sequel we see the love interest take on a life journey of her own going from a assassin for hire to the protector of her targets against supernatural assassins. Thats right folks you read right we have magic involved now!! Whilst the comic books of Elektra are sexy yet gritty this was lost in the live action film version and it has to be questioned whether that fault should lie with the director or the screenwriter on this occassion rather than just a poor performance from the lead actress.

8. Ghost Rider (2007)

Now I am not necessarily a Nic Cage fan but I do have a certain soft spot for him after watching Face/Off (1997) and of course Kick Ass (2010) but it is so painful to watch his portrayal as Johnny Blaze. As comic anti-heroes go, Ghost Rider as a character is an excellent example of how to get things right, going from being a reble without a cause to a minion of evil and finally giving a one figer salute to the Devil himself but… And a but there must be when it comes to being made into a film it is prettyobvious that the creates of Ghost Rider let the special effects of the story outshine the story itself as well as poor casting choices for the lead roles, therefore leaving Ghost Rider (2007) in my bin of comic book adaptations

7. Howard the Duck (1986)

Yes, yes I know i am being a hypocrite here as I am a proud member of the worldwide phenomenon of Team Duck Boobs, hell I’m the team mascot but as I stated in my disclaimer this does not mean I dislike the film. I know many people will agree that this is one of those marmite films out there and because of that it has to be put into the Top 10 fails I’m afraid.

For a 1986 film it has to be said that in the special effects department there is a certain finese lacking in the effects and puppets but not only that, and I know this is me being a bit of a hater but it does star Tim Robbins… Anyway thats enough Howard slating, time for number 6.

6. Astro Boy (2009)

So I thought it would be a wise move to put in an example of how even animated films can fail as comic adaptations and I feel that since Astro Boy was probably one of the first ever comics to be created this adaptation didn’t add a thing to the legacy other than a smudge! And please do not think I am just putting this into the list because it’s another Nic Cage failure too, that has nothing to do with my choice. Even though the CG in this is of a high standard it in my opinion a fail as it not original Astro Boy. One of the nicest thing about the Astro Boy comics is there old style drawings that have infulenced so many comic styles to follow whilst this movie has just been influenced by other works.

5. Superman Returns (2006)

Here we see a tragic case of how not to make a sequel… This film was made as a sequel to S2 (which could make this film a re-boot as there has already been a S3) and was completely unecessary in my view. I also feel that the blame for the recent boom in other superhero movie re-boots lies firmly with this film… lets face it there are all completely unecessary especially re-making a film that is less then 15 years old, come on people!!

4. The Spirit (2008)

Now I am a HUGE Frank Miller fan and I can assure you that my love for his works will be evident on my Ultimate Top10 comic adaptations but I have no idea what on earth he was playing at with this one!

For me it really does just seem to me that Miller saw what Rodriguez did for Sin City (2005) and decided well if he can do that why can’t I, but instead of applying it to one of his own comics he decided that he would try the technique on fellow comic creator, Will Eisner’s, work. This for me is a massive lesson to all wannabe directors, just because it worked on one film doesn’t mean it will work on them all… Overall this joins the fail list through the directors own faults.

3. The Hulk (2003)

Now for me this film is an enigma. It had an amzing director, the cast was great and the budget was there but somewhere in translation from paper to the big screen this film lost all its good points and ended up being drowned in special effects that if we are honest arent actually anything special at all. I had a little bit of a struggle if I am to be honest about this particular comic and its adaptations indeciding whether I should include both this on and the 2008 version. However I decided that whilst the 2008 version may not be the best movie out there, there is some redemption for it in the actors performances and the intergrity of the story. So its the bin for this version of The Hulk I’m afraid.

2. Dragonball Evolution (2009)

This is the reason Hollywood should leave eastern cinema and culture to its own devices. When it comes to Comic adaptations Hollywood has mixed result when adapting Western comics so why the hell did they decide to adapt a Japanese comic and so royally screw it up?!? So many essential parts to this film were lost in translation due to the massive culture battle it faced due to the mixture of beliefs, cinematic styles and different cultured actors! This is a film that has not only lost it’s comic roots but also its cultural identity and is therefore a double fail!

And now its the moment you have all been waiting for… Anyone guessed it yet??

1. Catwoman (2004)

Thats right its the king,.erm, I mean queen of all Comic Book Adaptation Fails!! I really do not know where to start with this CATastrophe (Get it!) From the shocking jokes, to the over use of poor quality CGI, to the poor performaces from the actors there really is not much going for this movie at all… Well apart from a few very cute real life moggies at the crazy cat laides house. Probably the most distinct disappointment in this film for me though it that it has effected the way that I now site and watch any Catwoman related Batman episodes or films as all I can think of is how that character has been ruined by this film… But there is not need to be CATTY about it (Ha!). I think it is very safe to say that there are so many problems with this film that it is not only in the top ten fails for comci adaptations but it will fall rather high in to the worse film of all time CATergory (Sorry, i’ll stop with the cat jokes now).

So there we have it my top ten comic book film fails… Hang tight because next time I’m going to give you my Ultimate top ten comic book film wins :-)