Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.

Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

The Spirit

Page: (1)2 3 4 5

15:34 / 24.04.08

The Spirit My City Screams Poster

Looks like the Spirit is off and running and the 1st trailer is now available!!!

The Spirit website

16:53 / 24.04.08

Nice poster. Very "neo-retro," if I may coin a term to describe this digitally-contrived film noir look. The visual element of the trailer is of course stunning (but 90 minutes of that red tie flapping around might get stale). Maybe we should call this "diginoir."

Nice use of Morricone's theme from DePalma's The Untouchables in the trailer. Here's hoping the actual score for the film is half as good as Morricone's poorest work.

Samuel L. Jackson as the Octopus - hmm. That will probably be interesting.

I'd be more excited about the project but for the attachment of Frank Miller.

But I'm more excited about this than Sin City 2, I tells ya.

21:10 / 24.04.08

I've not had any experience of The Spirit beyond what I've absorbed through comics blog osmosis but... isn't this a little darker than average. For The Spirit at least? I always assumed that the tales were more of a lighter (than this) pulp action/detective mystery bent.

To be frank (not Miller), this looks like Sin City 1.5

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

21:32 / 24.04.08

It's a bit too Batman for my tastes. The Spirit is not Batman. The Spirit is the Spirit, and this should be more goofball. And blue, presumably. I mean, "The City is my mother. She is my lover?" Really? Ellen's going to be pissed, Denny seeing a big mass of urban heat island behind her back like that.

22:14 / 24.04.08

That's it exactly, Papes. The whole thing sounds like Frank Miller presents Will Eisner's The Batman.

"The city is my oedipal multiplex. My... sexy metropolis"

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

22:29 / 24.04.08

And it looks like Batman forgot his costume in Gotham and has to make due with a suit in Sin City. I don't know, maybe I'm a little out-of-the-loop, but the tightrope-walking and acrobatics don't strike me as in the spirit of it, either. Denny has a sidekick who drives him around in a cab and he hits big guys until they fall over or hit him back and knock him out.

23:38 / 24.04.08

I don't recall The Spirit ever wearing Converse shoes in the comics.

04:16 / 25.04.08

I've been giving this the cold shoulder...until I saw the teaser. That got me psyched and let me set aside my concerns for the time being. It could be really cool. Hopefully. Yes.

04:36 / 25.04.08

From what I undersand of it (which, admittedly, isn't much) wouldn't a straight-up cinematic representation of Eisner's work be a commercial disaster?

Some characters endure (Sherlock Holmes) some limp along (Tarzan), but I don't know if anyone who isn't up to their waistband in comics has ever even heard of the property in question.

He's a buster, isn't he? The Spirit? He's a f***ing lame-ass buster.

Frank is correct to abuse him.

09:50 / 25.04.08

I'd much rather see David Lynch's "Will Eisner's New York: The Big City". Three grueling hours of urban decay and alienation, mostly silent, with vignettes focusing on the mysteries of fire hydrants and rubbish bins.

Kali, Queen of Kitteh

12:02 / 25.04.08

Just watched the trailer.

Wow. Everyone on the board is correct. Too many shades of Batman and Sin City so that it looks neither compelling nor original.

12:27 / 25.04.08

Yep, the Converse shoes are all Dwight-in-Sin-City. So's the 'hopping around on telephone wires' thing.

>> ...isn't this a little darker than average. For The Spirit at least?

"My city screams"... not exactly Will Eisner-style. Soon we will hear more of the Miller monologue "I must go to her like a lover... she calls out my name, under her breath... the night grows darker as I make my way to her..." etc. etc.

I hope it's at least somewhat decent. But I don't have high hopes, as this just looks like Sin City redux. I hope that's not all Miller is capable of doing these days. As Alan Moore famously said about 300, Miller can sort of only do one thing, but most times he does that one thing well. (Moore said "for example, in 300, they're Spartans, but since it's Frank Miller, they're hardboiled Spartans talking like Mickey Spillane" or words to that effect - I know the 'hardboiled Spartans' is a direct quote)

But All-Star Batman is starting to demonstrate that Miller may be descending into one-trick pony/lost his mojo hackdom...

12:28 / 25.04.08

At least they made letters out of buildings in the poster. That may be as Eisner as we get out of this thing.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

14:36 / 25.04.08

Some characters endure (Sherlock Holmes) some limp along (Tarzan), but I don't know if anyone who isn't up to their waistband in comics has ever even heard of the property in question.

That might be the case, sure, but I'm not sure that's an argument for losing the particular atmosphere and tone of the property rather than, say, leaving it in the drawer. I'm all for people doing their own interpretations of characters and properties -- but when you basically lose all the unique bits in favour of watered down reduxes of your other, "well-received, back in the day" projects, what's the point?

I mean, couldn't he focus his energy on Sin City 2 or asking Warner Brothers if he can direct the next Batman movie?

18:43 / 25.04.08

Also, some fans have been discussing the whole black suit vs. blue suit thing.

Although some contend that Eisner originally meant the suit to be black, but because of limitations of coloring at the time, he couldn't show it as such (it wouldn't print well/or be clear to the reader).

Such fans use as justification for their argument the comics visual shorthand/convention of the fact that black clothing, hair, surfaces, etc. was (and still is, to some degree) often shown with blue and dark blue highlights (i.e. the old Marvel comics Star Wars comics having Darth Vader's costume with blue highlights all the time, blue highlights on Superman's black hair, etc. - not literal highlights, of course, but meant to show the reflection of light)

I have never actually seen any quote or proof, however, that Eisner originally intended the suit to be black. And it seems like in the comics community, the Spirit's blue suit came to be known as just that - blue. It reflected the 1950s 'dark/medium blue suit' thing in the business world, and made Denny seem more like a working class joe than a vigilante superhero.

Personally, I don't mind either way - but I think a guy in a dark blue suit, rather than black, would have reinforced the 'regular Joe' thing. He would have appeared more like a real pulp detective hero - bedraggled, not-superpowered, just a private eye/dick type trying to right a few wrongs in this crazy world.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

18:55 / 25.04.08

...which is what Eisner supposedly intended, right? I thought Denny was the compromise when asked to make a superhero. He made a private dick and slapped a mask on him.

I just can't get behind the whole "I AM THE NIGHT / THE CITY IS MY WOMAN!" bollocks. Thing I like about the Spirit is that he doesn't run around shrieking MY PARENTS ARE DEAD at the top of his lungs. His whole origin is "So, like, I died and stuff. Got buried. Got better. Crawled my way up from the bottom." Kinda thing that makes you grin to be alive, right? Escaping your own death. I suspect that we're going to get FRANK MILLER PRESENTS WILL EISNER'S ANGRY NOIR JESUS! rather than something with grins and fists in dark alleyways.

20:01 / 25.04.08

So true.

20:26 / 25.04.08

i liked the trailer, despite the "my mother, my lover" thing and the overall darkness.

there's some goofiness [cats, converse, jumping over watertank] but i'm still not completely sold. robert rodriguez would know better how to capture the... spirit of the comic.

but frank miller? i'm afraid his Spirit will beat the crap of all the femme fatalles in the movie.

with his bare hands.

what i really want to know, though, is how will it stand against the 1987 TV adaptation with Sam Jones [Flash Gordon]. which at least had some of that tongue-in-cheek aura.

20:54 / 25.04.08

I AM TEH FICSUITZ!
THINK OF TEH DARQKUE SEXY SPIRIT WHEN U THINK OF ME!

Huh, was expecting at least a bit more of Dick Tracy traces.

I propose we hijack the thread and do improbable Frank Miller versions of other stories that don't share the tank's aesthetic premises. We must. Riverdale's silk gutter whisper. It calls me. Weatherbee can wait. Get ready, mother. Here I come.

21:58 / 25.04.08

This looks shit. Shit, and pointless.

Like Miller wanted to get to direct a Batman flick, obviously couldn't, so plucked another franchise out at random and decided to turn it into Batman. In Sin City's clothes.

Awful.

22:30 / 25.04.08

it'd have been perfect if DAREDEVIL had been done by Miller this way, wouldn't it? a much better fit.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

22:38 / 25.04.08

I propose we hijack the thread and do improbable Frank Miller versions of other stories that don't share the tank's aesthetic premises.

ARE YOU DENSE? ARE YOU RETARDED OR SOMETHING? I'M GODDAMN ISHMAEL!!!

Seriously, this is my whole thing with Miller. Personally, I love Sin City, because it's his world, and he does it well. It has all his stuff, and he doesn't have to make excuses for it being there, it fits that world. DKR was great too, because Batman lent himself to that treatment (once). 300 worked, because if ANY story fits his Nietzschean thing, it's that one. But to expect it to work in any other arena is just lunacy.

Except maybe Conan The Barbarian. I'd like to see him doing that. That just might work. It's Marv in pants.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

23:08 / 25.04.08

I thought it was Marv with little lion-skin diapers and wolfcub booties?

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

23:35 / 25.04.08

Depends entirely on whether you're into John Milius or Roy Thomas...

(Incidentally, one of my favourite things EVER is the first Conan movie being by Oliver Stone and John Milius. I know they probably never occurred, but I love to imagine drunken arguments between the two).

05:01 / 26.04.08

I would love to see this as a success. I think it would be a coup to put better comic book movies to the public instead of trashier ones. And I want this to succeed because it is Frank Miller directing! FRANK MILLER DIRECTING!!!!! This one has to be a success for other prolific comic book people being a success rather than Hollywood and other media stealing from comic book talent. Remember LAST ACTION HERO didn't it remind you of a certain GRANT MORRISON ANIMAL MAN story where a fictious character visits the real world? Wouldn't it be great if Arnold had met his directors and writers and the Actor himself playing him? FRANK MILLER DIRECTING!!!!!! SIN CITY, 300, ROBOCOP 2 and rumors of his involvment in TERMINATOR 2. Now the man behind Elektra and Batman the Dark Knight returns is gonna kick Hollywood butt, I hope....

05:31 / 26.04.08

Can't you see the bits and pieces Hollywood took from comic book talent?
Silence of the Lambs = Watchmen (think Rorschach)
Sandman the Game of You = the Crying Game (transgenered ID)
Mark Millar's take of the angel in JLA = City of Angels (Angels falling in love with humans)
just to name a few off the top of my head.

There hasn't been many comicbook films that I think were sucessful for their respect for the media. Just a few.

X-Men 2
Spiderman series
The Crow (tragedy that Brandon Lee died.)
TMNT
Sin City
Ghost World
American Splendor
300
Transformers

I'm glad Frank Miller is doing this, paying respect to one of the absolute masters to the medium before making Sin City 2 or making another of his creations into a movie. It's like seeing a new Frank Miller comic rather than seeing his version of Batman hit the screens.....Having said that I would love to see Ronin or Give Me Liberty directed by him with the help with film knowledge studios having respect for the creators to create the best possible product.

How much will the Dark Knight Returns will be in the iconic Batman? I just hope that film and comicbook people have a more of a synthesis of their talents and make greater works rather than seeing which one is better than the other. Create the best possible works so that people will enjoy the experience. If good comicbook movies aren't made they wouldn't respect any comicbooks at all and that would be a shame! I mean I would even pay to see PITT by Dale Keown made if they didn't do it poorly. I hope Ironman, the Hulk, Wanted, Batman the Dark Knight Returns and Hellboy 2 are all successes. I mean it looks like Daredevil, Elektra, Ghost Rider, Barbwire and Fantastic Four are knocked out for now don't they? And if all our superheroes are knocked out who is going to rescue us?

05:47 / 26.04.08

Ghost World? Anyhow...

Nothing touches G-Men from Hell or Ichi the Killer. Except maybe Sin City and the Iron Man preview.

Iron Man, the preview of a comicbook character movie adaptation by which all other comics character movie adaptation previews should be judged. Unless it actually turns out to suck and not just involve short pithy clips, some gunplay and flying.

ONLY NICE THINGS

08:41 / 26.04.08

Silence of the Lambs = Watchmen (think Rorschach)
Sandman the Game of You = the Crying Game (transgenered ID)
Mark Millar's take of the angel in JLA = City of Angels (Angels falling in love with humans)

There are all sorts of ways in which these are silly statements (The Crying Game and A Game of You don't really have very much in common, now, do they, apart from one of the characters being a pre/nonoperative MTF transsexual and the word "game" in the title), but let's go for the obvious one. "Wings of Desire" was filmed in 1987. Mark Millar's take on Zauriel was, if anything, a rip-off of that. By the same token, both The Last Action Hero and Animal Man might be said to be ripping offThe Purple Rose of Cairo.

13:23 / 26.04.08

Which has more in common thematically?
Meet Joe Black = Sandman's Death = Pier Anthony's On a Pale Horse
Matrix = Invisibles
What Dreams May Come = Swamp Thing Love and Death

I think the Crying Game has more in common with the Game of You than you think. The theme of acceptance of a pre/nonoperative MTF transsexual was first introduced in Sandman a Game of You in what was it 1991? Whereas the Crying Game with a similar theme and which has won an oscar was released in 1992. No movies I think approached "a pre/nonoperative MTF transsexual" in movies the same way I think.

I can see your point about Wings of Desire but which was first Date with an Angel or Wings of Desire? And why all of a sudden during 1998 would, Warner isn't it?, they make a remake of Wings of Desire if Mark Millar didn't have a little influence in their sway to make a film? Was it Wings of Desire 1987 or Mark Millars story which was around 1997 followed by City of Angels 1998?

And which has more in common with each other Animal Man by Grant Morrison, Last Action Hero or Purple Rose of Cairo directed by Woody Allen? I hate arguing so I'll end it with. To be or not to be. Not to be....

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

13:27 / 26.04.08

...dude, I hate to say it, but I think you may be reaching juuuuuust a little.

14:07 / 26.04.08

What's the matter you don't want to see anymore comic book movies? I guess Frank Miller finally directing a movie isn't your cup of tea. Don't you want comic book talent to succeed elsewhere and be proud that comic book talent have a few tricks up their sleeves? I think we should have constructive thoughts rather than destructive thoughts on, well everything or we'll be beating ourselves senseless on why comic book movies should no longer exist or why film never need heroes.... Both are strong mediums lets just have constructive thoughts on making both mediums better for mankind.....

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

14:16 / 26.04.08

Erm... I don't think I said any of that. Anywhere. Ever.

I just dispute your claims that the movies you were talking about were inspired by or were ripping off comics.

14:30 / 26.04.08

Sorry I didn't mean to make anybody feel bad, I just wish we were all happy posters that's all. If we don't show fan support I think they'll stop making comic book movies and we'll have no dreams of what would make great comic book movies and without them that might be bad for the comicbook medium and new people might not visit comic book stores or comic book talent won't get their just awards in trying out or being seen in other media. Maybe if Frank Miller can get into Hollywood and not be sick of the whole ordeal maybe there are some comic book kids with the same dreams and aspirations to become big in comic books and later film..... Stephen King wanted to be a comic book writer at first and look what happened to him he finally got to make Creepshow!

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

14:49 / 26.04.08

Oh, I can agree with that, as long as Miller proves to be a good director on his own terms. He may be rubbish. Jimi Hendrix was a great guitarist, but I wouldn't necessarily trust him to fly a plane, or make origami figures.

15:53 / 26.04.08

I just wish we were all happy posters that's all.

Being critical doesn't mean not being happy. It just means being honest and/or perceptive.

Case in point: Robocop 3 was shit.

Page: (1)2 3 4 5