Posts Tagged ‘Popular Culture’
… an established success rate I figure I can extend this to include real estate.
Here thanks to popular culture are five places that I would never live:
Near a corn field – nothing ever good happens in corn fields except maybe the growing of corn, but I hear that’s rare and aliens or children are more likely to show up.
Elm Street, Crystal Lake or Texas – I know that generally the events depicted in movies didn’t actually happen in the real equivalents of these places, but …
Tags: Popular Culture real estate
I’m not even sure as I write this if I want to go on record and recommend the film Kick-Ass to the general public because frankly I don’t know if this film is right for the general public.
Actually I’m sure the film is not right for the general population’s consumption. It certainly isn’t right for kids despite the flashy costumes and promise of humour, this is not a kid’s film by any stretch of the imagination.
This is an adult comic book fan’s movie.
But even then, even if you are an adult and a comic book fan you need to fall within more categories. You need to be able to:
- Accept that these characters are not real.
- Accept that the world in which these characters inhabit is not real.
- Deal with hard violence.
- Accept that the character who is possibly the most violent and uses the worst profanity is a very young girl.
If you are able to do these things then GO SEE KICK-ASS BECAUSE IT IS AWESOME.
If you can’t don’t feel bad, I don’t like torture porn films like Saw and Hostel. I wouldn’t go see then, however I don’t really mind if you do want to see them, that’s your business and I have very good friends who like those films. I’m just saying that there are very valid reasons why someone might detest this film but I’m not one of them, you know if you are or not and you should use common sense if you are considering seeing this.
Now the film itself had me reeling from the barrage of comic book references, the comic book series Runaways is prominently waved around, Mike Mignola and Hellboy adorn the walls and there are several scenes that pay excellent homage to various superhero movies such as Superman, Batman and Spider-Man.
Nic Cage who I will nearly always defend despite scary hair and teeth is an absolute delight in this and it’s generally all due to Mr Adam West, the original television Batman whom Cage’s character chooses to emulate rather than go with the gravel voiced Bale incarnation. His choice of which Batman to impersonate says a lot about his character and I wonder who came up with that idea because it certainly isn’t hinted at in the comic book.
In fact the movie does deviate in storyline and at times tone from the comic book which it is based upon, I don’t mean it is “Wanted” different but there are enough changes in there to key events that the stories are different. I’m almost willing to say that the movie storyline is better or at least more satisfying than the book.
Whilst Cage’s West impersonation was a treasure for me it is the most controversial of the Kick-Ass characters that truly steals the show. Hit Girl played by the amazing Chloë Moretz just owns this film, I don’t exaggerate here she OWNS this film.
There is something disturbingly entertaining about watching her kill a bunch of bad guys with a samurai sword to a cover of The Banana Splits theme song. As an actress she manages to completely sell the role despite the absurdity of the idea of a 10 or 12 year old assassin (I’m not sure her actual age in the film but Moretz was 12 when she filmed it). Although in fairness people don’t seem too hung up on the 10 year old character of Robin from Batman comics, I hope it’s not because he’s a boy, I hope it’s the lack of homicide.
Moretz is definitely an actress to keep your eye on, she’s already been in 500 Days of Summer and a few horror films like The Amityville Horror (remake obviously), The Eye and Big Momma’s House 2 (I’ve been dying to make that joke) though I wonder if her next role as Abby, a young vampire in the American remake of the Swedish film, Let The Right One In is going to be any less controversial.
Kick-Ass is funny too, more often than not it’s dark humour but for me it is a lot funnier than its comic book source material. On the other hand too there is a surprising amount of heart to the film that makes you care about the heroes and what happens to them. I’m almost willing to stretch that there are a couple of quite powerful moments hidden amongst the action.
The end is particularly rousing and cheer inducing though it does lack a key moment from the comic that would have been really powerful.
Overall I really loved Kick-Ass, I’d easily go see it again and it will be an immediate addition to my Blu-rays. Go see it but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
With this being the first day in Movember I thought it might be cool to have a look a five truly great moustaches from popular culture.
5. The Stranger – The Big Lebowski
The mysterious cowboy narrator played by Sam Elliot who has pretty much one of the most impressive moustaches in Hollywood. I mean really has a man’s face ever demanded a moustache more? I suspect it has it’s own trailer on set and a separate contract for appearances.
4. Doctor Strange
I keep intending on reading the original Doctor Strange comics, it’s on my list because apart from the impressive handle bar moustache I don’t quite get the character yet he’s been going strong for years. He’s a master of the occult, or is that ‘the’ master of the occult? And for mighty Marvel magic cross overs he is the go-to guy.
When he first started out (technically a villain named Dr Strange was the first appearance… oh sorry forgot the comic book geek alert) he had the pencil moustache like Tony Stark or Clark Gable’s but it developed into either a full handle bar moustache or a hybrid pencil handle bar moustache depending upon the artist. Of course today he has succumb to public pressure and grown the goatee despite the handle bar moustache being sported quite proudly by men such as Nick Cave.
3. Lando Calrissian
I have no idea why Lando is so damn cool, it must be something to do with the moustache. I mean the guy betrays everyone’s favourite character yet still doesn’t get his arms ripped off by a Wookie and is given the chance to redeem himself. I know that they were thinking ‘Damn he could have tipped us off but sheesh that moustache is neat so lets trust him’.
Of course his costume is pretty sweet too, it serves to enhance the moustache and not overwhelm it… OK I’m going to stop staring at Lando’s picture now and grow my manly moustache.
2. Tony Stark
You want to know what slowed up the production of the Mark II Iron Man armour, Stark was trying to work out a way so people could still see his impressive Clark Gable pencil moustache and protect his identity as well. Obviously even his brilliant mind couldn’t work out the problems and ultimately he let the idea go. Safe in the knowledge that when he did remove the helmet that his rocking moustache would still be there.
Of course being a trend setter Stark adapted his moustache throughout the years to reflect the times but unlike Dr Strange (who secretly was copying Stark’s facial hair) Tony didn’t go the handle bar, knowing it was more manly to go the Magnum PI.
Then something horrible happened.
Tony abandoned the moustache and grew it into a goatee?!? (which of course Strange copied…)
1. Magnum PI
The gold class of moustaches, untouched by changes in style, a consistent winner.
So remember that I’m growing a Magnum PI Mo for Movember and I’m looking for donations to go to really great cause, men’s health which often gets overlooked.
You can follow my progress over at http://au.movember.com/mospace/204841/ or go directly to the donation page and throw my mo growing endeavour some cash!
