Fanboys

Title: Fanboys

Year of Release: 2008

Date Viewed: February 4th, 2011

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Three and a half decades ago, in the galaxy we're living in, a young filmmaker named George Lucas penned a script that would evolve into an iconic legacy. A year later, the Star Wars empire was born; a franchise that had enraptured one of the largest followings the pop culture world would ever see. It's not uncommon to meet fans that regard the movies so close to their identity that it has helped shape their personalities and influenced their daily philosophy. The most creative ones were inspired enough to create their own spinoffs and tributes to the franchise they adored.

Fanboys is one of the most affectionate celebrations of Star Wars geekdom to reach the mainstream and has made yours truly proud to be a part of it.

The movie's story is set in the fall of 1998, seven months before the release of the eagerly anticipated Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Eric Bottler (Sam Huntington) arrives at a Halloween party to pay a visit to his three high school friends whom he hadn't seen in a long while. Their universal love of Star Wars is what originally brought them together. But life's natural courses had drifted them apart. The brush of nostalgia turns sour when it's revealed to Eric that Linus (Chris Marquette) is facing terminal cancer and is estimated to have only four more months to live. Not long enough to see the new movie on its scheduled premiere date. Eric feels guilty over taking so long to reconcile with his friend. To make amends for it, he structures a plan to turn their childhood fantasy of infiltrating George Lucas' home into a reality. Getting their hands on an early print of The Phantom Menace is Linus' only hope of seeing what he had waited so long for. That part is difficult enough. But add car trouble, the police and psychotic Star Trek fans into the fray and it becomes an adventure.

If you have ever dreamed of owning a lightsaber or have used dialogue from the Star Wars movies in regular conversation, this is the perfect film for you. It's a nice reminder of how long lasting friendships can be instigated through a medium of entertainment. It can be fairly said that George Lucas is indirectly responsible for creating millions of social gatherings with many resulting in relationships that stretch much further than that. It brings back a personal memory of how I met someone because I overheard him mention the name Ric Flair. This inspired me to introduce myself to this fellow pro wrestling fan. Then we found more things that we had in common and our friendship grew stronger. It was the initial reference to what we had in common that made it all possible. Thanks, Ric.

It should be established that this is a tribute film made by the fans for the fans. Not just of Star Wars but cult followings in general. Outsiders are free to peek in but may find certain things to be lost on them, such as why Eric's comment "It's just a movie" is met with disdain. People who are already onboard with the idea will applaud at the numerous cameos by celebrities closely associated with cult followings. Their presence contribute some of the movie's best moments.

Although most of the characters are written to have a low IQ level, it never feels condescending to geek culture they represent. They may not have evolved much since high school but we are left with reason to believe they will mature in the unwritten epilogue.

The only real beef I have with the movie is the final line of dialogue. It was unnecessary and alienating to certain groups of its target audience. Out of place for something that promotes unity among peers.

Although shooting had wrapped in 2005, it took nearly three years for the movie to get a national release. The main reason for the delay was producer Harvey Weinstein's long-standing campaign for re-shoots and script revisions. Weinstein had a tone in mind that was different than what writers Adam Goldberg, Ernest Cline, and director Kyle Newman had envisioned. Most notably, he wanted all traces of the cancer subplot to be removed. In the end, the material stayed in the script. I was indifferent about the controversy up until I saw the completed film. It then became clear to me that if Weinstein had gotten his way, it would have been a travesty. The story would have lost its heart and then the project would have looked stupid and offensive. What also became clear at the moment was that the story is actually about friendship. Embarking on a journey with someone close to you is more rewarding than reaching the destination. The characters do not pick up on this lesson until the story's conclusion. When I did, I offered a grateful thanks to the friend that came to see this movie with me.

Rating: 8

Superhero Movie

Title: Superhero Movie

Year of Release: 2008

Date Viewed: July 23rd, 2010

MPAA Rating: PG-13

It appears that the universal attitude regarding the parody genre is that it is dead. I would argue that it is actually trapped in a coma. A victim of numerous stabbings by perpetrators Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer; two hack screenwriters who think that simply referencing a movie is funny. Apparently nobody ever told these clowns that a comedy needs to have....believe it or not.....jokes or gags for it to be funny. As a result, audiences have been dealt four different sad excuses for parodies ranging from barely watchable (Epic Movie) to flat out pathetic (Meet The Spartans). Thanks to these guys, today's audiences have pretty much lost all faith in ever seeing a classic spoof like Airplane ever again.

But wait! All hope is not lost! Here comes Superhero Movie to save the day! With writer/director Craig Mazin at the helm along with veteran spoof master David Zucker serving as producer, this movie kicks all of the Friedberg/Seltzer projects to the curb. It marks a triumphant return to the days where Hollywood's biggest blockbusters were lampooned in front of our very eyes and we loved every second of it.

Okay, maybe I'm being a little overdramatic with this. The film isn't THAT great. However, parody fans still owe it to themselves to see it because Hollywood needs to receive the message that we demand quality in our beloved genre. Superhero Movie can be described just like watching our favorite action heroes battle their villains. Some hits. Some misses. A cheesy moral. And of course an epic finish.

In this story, we meet lovable loser Rick Riker (Drake Bell.) He can never seem to do anything right. As a young child, Rick inadvertently kills his parents (in a scene featuring the triumphant return of Robert Hays to the parody genre) while trying to defend them from a mugger. His inheritance is wasted after he sold all of his family's Google shares and invested the money in Enron. He lives with his crazy Uncle Albert (Leslie Nielsen) and Aunt Lucielle (Marion Ross) who never seem to connect with him. Worst of all, he is bullied at school and constantly humiliated in front of his childhood crush Jill Johnson (Sara Paxton).

His fate is soon realized after getting bitten by a radioactive dragonfly during a class field trip. He begins to develop new superhuman strengths and can even climb up walls with ease. The transformation comes not a moment too soon as evil scientist Lou Landers (Christopher McDonald) creates a new device that helps him fight his terminal illness. By taking the lives of innocent victims, their vitality adds days to his life. He takes on the name Hourglass as a reference to his mission. Only a mass murder can realize his dreams of living immortal.

With the help of superhero mentor Professor Xavier (Tracy Morgan) and the wise yet insensitive wisdom of Jill, Rick (with a new alter-ego known as The Dragonfly) has to look deep within himself to find the courage to take on his new calling and save the world from the evil Hourglass.

As you've probably guessed by now, this film is essentially a reworking of 2002's Spiderman. The subplots poke fun at elements from Batman Begins and X-Men just to name a few. Parody fans should be rest assured that the idea is in good hands. David Zucker's influence is evident in nearly every scene. All the rules for success in the genre are followed. For instance, the actors play their parts straight, meaning that they are completely oblivious to the ridiculous sight gags around them. Leslie Nielsen has made a living off this sort of art for the past few decades. Drake Bell and Sara Paxton are both new to the game but appear to have been coached very well.

Another Zucker trademark is the play on words. In one scene, Landers arrives at the Riker's Thanksgiving dinner and explains that occasions like these mean a lot to him because he never had much of a family and never married. Jill holds up a fruitcake and asks "Fruitcake?" in an offering manner. Landers with his back turned replies "Nope. Just haven't met the right woman."

This use of clever comedy is balanced with cheap cliche comedy that is sometimes still funny. If sex and fart jokes are too lowbrow for you, it's best to avoid this movie because it is full of both. It may also not appeal to those that look down upon slapstick. Rick Riker is a klutz after all and the film will remind you of this fact every five minutes or so.

The biggest offender that prevents this film from becoming the classic I so desperately want it to be is the fact that Mazin and Zucker completely plagiarize themselves at times. Not only do several "Rick hurts himself" scenes recycle during the movie but the second-to-last scene is taken directly from the ending of the first Naked Gun movie. Stephen Hawking meets the same fate as O.J. Simpson's character.

Oh yes, Stephen Hawking. I forgot to mention him. A foul-mouthed version of the famous scientist appears as comic relief inside a movie that is already nothing but comic relief. Hawking's catatonic condition leads him to all sorts of bad situations such as getting stuck in a bee's nest and spilling hot coffee all over himself. Making fun of someone because of something they can't help always rubs me the wrong way. Evidently however, I hear that the real Hawking has a strong sense of humor himself and doesn't mind being parodied so perhaps I am a bit over-sensitive here. Point being though, it's not a film for the easily offended. But if you're already familiar with Zucker's track record, that shouldn't come as a surprise.

I had a really really good time watching this movie. However, in the spirit of objectivity, I can't recommend it to anyone other than longtime fans of Zucker spoofs. It's a huge step in the right direction when you compare it to the Friedberg/Seltzer junk but it doesn't have enough creativity to work for a large crowd.

Then again, these movies are not made for large crowds anyway. So who am I to complain?

Rating: 6

Trick 'r Treat

Title: Trick 'r Treat

Year of Release: 2008

MPAA Rating: R

Date Viewed: May 13th, 2010

The next time October rolls around and you unload your stash of horror movies to help get in the spirit of things, make sure to add this little gem to the pile. Screenwriter Michael Dougherty takes the director's chair for this horror anthology and gives us a real treat of a movie that is destined for cult status. Dougherty has previously written screenplays for two Bryan Singer-directed films; X-Men 2 and Superman Returns. Singer serves as a producer for this film.

The movie contains four stories interwoven with a common theme. Respect the traditions of Halloween or die. The stories unfold using a comic book style narrative with constant flashbacks and flash forwards to different events that occur during a single Halloween night. These events all have a connection often featuring several characters interacting with each other within their own respective tales. If you've seen Crash or any of its many clones, then you'll be familiar with the formula.

The phrase "the less said, the better" is usually not a compliment. In this case however, it's the highest compliment I can give. I won't reveal any potential spoilers but I will give you an idea of what to expect. Each of these four stories have their own little surprises attached and I defy anyone who can correctly predict them all. You may find yourself perplexed and maybe puzzled at some of the characters' behavior or at the vague foreshadowing. It's all part of the fun and what separates Trick 'r Treat from other horror films. Granted, foreshadowing and strange behavior are not uncommon for this genre, but the film never cheats the viewer. In fact, it rewards them.

In the first tale, we meet a mysterious school principal (Dylan Baker) who seems to enjoy Halloween a little too much. His affection for the traditions seem to have taken control of his sanity and possibly his soul.

In the second tale, we meet a group of young adult females who vow to help their friend (Anna Paquin) lose her virginity before the night is over. It's easier said than done, but not for the reasons you'd think.

In the third tale, we meet a group of young schoolchildren who decide to spend the evening honoring the victims of a Halloween legend. Supposedly, the ghosts of the victims still roam the crime scene. But that's not the most dangerous thing that's lurking around town.

In the fourth tale, we meet an elderly man (Brian Cox) that cannot stand Halloween and is paid a visit by a menace that seems to oversee all of the strange occurances that happen on Halloween night. Who exactly is this menace? Picture the spirit of Jacob Marley and the sadism of the Child's Play doll and you have your villain.

The thing that surprised me most about this film is its approach to the subject matter. Though it's not a comedy by any means, the plot and dialogue is laced with enough tongue-in-cheek humour so as not to take everything so seriously. The film feels like a throwback to the campy 1980s horror films where it focuses more on encouraging the audience to have fun over simply scaring them. It's a welcome refreshing break.

While Trick 'r Treat isn't as scary as the trailer would lead you to believe, it is still great fun and offers a Halloween film that adults can enjoy while their young ones watch Hocus Pocus in the other room. Watch it with friends and enjoy the ride.

And try not to eat too much candy.

Rating: 8

Iron Man

Title: Iron Man

Year of Release: 2008

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Date Viewed: May 11th, 2010

This review covers the original 2008 film. The sequel will be reviewed on a later date.

I have seen this film during its theatrical run and recently decided to revisit it with some friends who were all interested in its upcoming sequel and are fans of Robert Downey Jr. All of us became so amused by Downey's wisecracks with straight delivery that we later watched Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which will be covered on the next post.

At the time of its release, I had become burned out by the superhero genre and wished Hollywood would stop depending on Stan Lee's ideas for their fortunes and present some of their own. Plus I hadn't really been familiar with the character of Iron Man outside of the "Captain America and the Avengers" arcade game that featured Iron Man alongside other Marvel superheroes in a side-scrolling beat-em-up quest to save the world. I eventually decided to take a chance on it due to a friend's urging to come see it with him. I don't remember the reason why he was so gung-ho about watching it. Maybe he thought the explosions looked cool. I don't know.
After watching the film, I was left with two conclusions. The first was that Iron Man was a perfectly average and acceptable superhero film. The second was that a perfectly average and acceptable superhero film was still better than most stuff you'd find at a multiplex. It's very entertaining, yet it seems doubtful that its popularity will hold up. Only time will tell on that.

Iron Man's alter ego Tony Stark is a bit similar to Bruce Wayne. He is wealthy and not afraid to flaunt what the common man can only dream of. A mansion in Malibu, fancy cars, women that follow him for attention and people that follow his orders. And like Bruce Wayne, his transformation into a superhero was the result of an accident of unforeseeable circumstances. Unlike Bruce Wayne however, Stark's income is dependant on a more controversial trade. His company manufactures large-scale military weapons and sells them to both the National and International armies. When a visit overseas results in him being held hostage by a group of Afghan terrorists who want him to build a missile for them, Stark realizes that he owes more responsibility to his business and needs to keep the weapons out of the wrong hands, which is even more complex than he knows.

Stark breaks free from his captors by instead building an advanced suit of armor that can fire weapons and shield him from heavy firepower. After returning home, Stark ceases all production of his company's weapons and works privately to build another suit of armor, which will help Stark combat the forces of evil and understand his true potential.

Stark's right-hand man Obadiah (Jeff Bridges) is dismayed at his colleague's sudden change of heart out of concern for his meal ticket and something the audience won't know about until later.
Robert Downey Jr portrays Stark with terrific wit and charisma. His scenes are easily the most fun to watch and it's interesting to see his progression from cold arrogant businessman to cold arrogant businessman with a conscience. His allies include his assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and U.S. military leader James Rhodes (Terrence Howard) who are aware of Stark's motivations and do their part to help with his mission.

Iron Man has a serious undertone to it (weapons are not to be taken lightly), but the film doesn't allow itself to be too serious, which is the ideal formula for the superhero genre. The villains are cartoon-like in behavior yet are still believable in their fear presence. By the time the film reaches its climax, you will find yourself on the edge of your seat waiting and hoping for good to win over evil.

One thing that surprised me about this revisitation was how I noticed that there is little time actually devoted to action scenes, which is odd considering I remembered the film as being very loud and fast-paced. It may disappoint the Michael Bay fans out there, but it's great to see an action film having a story to fall back on instead of solely depending on loud explosions. Of course, that only works if you find the storyline interesting. To me, it was just interesting enough to work.

Iron Man works on its own, but this may be the rare case where sequels are necessary to carve out a true legacy. Let's hope it happens because they're off to a great start.

Rating: 8