150 Movies You Should See Before You Die Read Online Free Page B
Author: Steve Miller
Tags: epub, ebook
forces with the Octopus?
Why It Sucks
Frank Miller claims to be a huge fan of comic book genius Will Eisner. Why then did he choose to write an adaptation of Eisner's signature creation that gutted it of its signature charm? Miller's convinced he can improve on a masterpiece by tearing it apart and rebuilding it in his own image. The Spirit is an empty shell of a movie that rehashes, poorly, the visual approach and writing style of Miller's Sin City .
Thumbs Down Rating:
The Crappies
The Worst Script Award goes to … Frank Miller for combining three of Eisner's best and most complex characters — master criminal Sand Saref, black widow con-artist P'Gell, and international jewel thief Silk Satin — into one single, beautiful dame in a skimpy dress.
And the Worst Actor Award goes to … Samuel L. Jackson for his portrayal of the Octopus. Over the top is putting it mildly. He makes Jack Nicholson's Joker look like a model of restraint.
They Really Said It!
The Octopus : Free-range chickens with their big brown ugly-ass eggs. They piss me off. Every time I think about those big brown eggs they piss. Me. Off.
Betcha Didn't Know
The Spirit was the lead feature in a weekly comic book supplement produced by Eisner's art studio between 1940 and 1952.
The film made roughly $20 million during its U.S. theatrical run, but it had an estimated production cost of $35 million.
Trivia Quiz
In The Spirit movie, Ellen Dolan is a physician. What does she do in the comic book series?
A: Dilettante and later mayor of Central City
B: Headmistress at a private school for girls
C: Dilettante and later a secret agent for the United States government
D: Accountant for the IRS
Answer: A. Dilettante and later mayor of Central City. For the first years of the series, Ellen Dolan tried a range of careers, including private investigator. At the end of an extended story arc, she became mayor.
CHAPTER THREE
CREAKY CLASSICS
The term “classic” implies a movie will transcend the moment of its creation and still hold appeal years after its creation. Marketers and reviewers, especially in the entertainment business, tend to use — and overuse — the oxymoronic phrase “instant classic.” It is to them that I dedicate this chapter.
BLACK DRAGONS
Banner Productions, 1942
PRODUCERS Jack Dietz and Sam Katzman
WRITERS Harvey Gates (screenplay), Robert Kehoe (story)
DIRECTOR William Nigh
STARS Bela Lugosi ( Dr. Melcher/Colomb ), Clayton Moore ( Dick Martin ), Joan Barclay ( Alice Saunders ), George Pembroke ( Dr. William Saunders ), and Irving Mitchell ( John Van Dyke )
As America gears up to fight the Japanese during World War II, a group of wealthy Fifth Columnists finalize their plans to sabotage the war effort from the top down. However, they share a secret far deeper and more sinister. Why is the mysterious Mr. Colomb (Lugosi) murdering them, one by one? Is Colomb an American patriot, or is he a threat more sinister than even the enemy agents?
Why It Sucks
Back in the 1940s, Hollywood was cranking out war propaganda, and some of it was actually pretty good filmmaking. Black Dragons , sadly, isn't. A sloppy, badly constructed script manages to snuff out every spark that could have set this movie on fire. The ideas the filmmakers had aren't too bad; but evidently William Nigh was so worried about enemy sabotage that he forgot how to direct a movie.
Thumbs Down Rating:
The Crappies
The Worst Script Award goes to … Harvey Gates for a script in which Bela Lugosi's character can apparently vanish into thin air when at risk of discovery and capture.
And the Worst Director Award goes to … William Nigh for letting Lugosi chew up the scenery and not even giving him a decent supporting cast.
They Really Said It!
Amos Hanlin: “A busy man has very little time to engage in feminine emotions.”
Betcha Didn't Know
The Black Dragon Society was a real-world, ultranationalist Japanese organization founded in 1901. From the 1920s to
Why It Sucks
Frank Miller claims to be a huge fan of comic book genius Will Eisner. Why then did he choose to write an adaptation of Eisner's signature creation that gutted it of its signature charm? Miller's convinced he can improve on a masterpiece by tearing it apart and rebuilding it in his own image. The Spirit is an empty shell of a movie that rehashes, poorly, the visual approach and writing style of Miller's Sin City .
Thumbs Down Rating:
The Crappies
The Worst Script Award goes to … Frank Miller for combining three of Eisner's best and most complex characters — master criminal Sand Saref, black widow con-artist P'Gell, and international jewel thief Silk Satin — into one single, beautiful dame in a skimpy dress.
And the Worst Actor Award goes to … Samuel L. Jackson for his portrayal of the Octopus. Over the top is putting it mildly. He makes Jack Nicholson's Joker look like a model of restraint.
They Really Said It!
The Octopus : Free-range chickens with their big brown ugly-ass eggs. They piss me off. Every time I think about those big brown eggs they piss. Me. Off.
Betcha Didn't Know
The Spirit was the lead feature in a weekly comic book supplement produced by Eisner's art studio between 1940 and 1952.
The film made roughly $20 million during its U.S. theatrical run, but it had an estimated production cost of $35 million.
Trivia Quiz
In The Spirit movie, Ellen Dolan is a physician. What does she do in the comic book series?
A: Dilettante and later mayor of Central City
B: Headmistress at a private school for girls
C: Dilettante and later a secret agent for the United States government
D: Accountant for the IRS
Answer: A. Dilettante and later mayor of Central City. For the first years of the series, Ellen Dolan tried a range of careers, including private investigator. At the end of an extended story arc, she became mayor.
CHAPTER THREE
CREAKY CLASSICS
The term “classic” implies a movie will transcend the moment of its creation and still hold appeal years after its creation. Marketers and reviewers, especially in the entertainment business, tend to use — and overuse — the oxymoronic phrase “instant classic.” It is to them that I dedicate this chapter.
BLACK DRAGONS
Banner Productions, 1942
PRODUCERS Jack Dietz and Sam Katzman
WRITERS Harvey Gates (screenplay), Robert Kehoe (story)
DIRECTOR William Nigh
STARS Bela Lugosi ( Dr. Melcher/Colomb ), Clayton Moore ( Dick Martin ), Joan Barclay ( Alice Saunders ), George Pembroke ( Dr. William Saunders ), and Irving Mitchell ( John Van Dyke )
As America gears up to fight the Japanese during World War II, a group of wealthy Fifth Columnists finalize their plans to sabotage the war effort from the top down. However, they share a secret far deeper and more sinister. Why is the mysterious Mr. Colomb (Lugosi) murdering them, one by one? Is Colomb an American patriot, or is he a threat more sinister than even the enemy agents?
Why It Sucks
Back in the 1940s, Hollywood was cranking out war propaganda, and some of it was actually pretty good filmmaking. Black Dragons , sadly, isn't. A sloppy, badly constructed script manages to snuff out every spark that could have set this movie on fire. The ideas the filmmakers had aren't too bad; but evidently William Nigh was so worried about enemy sabotage that he forgot how to direct a movie.
Thumbs Down Rating:
The Crappies
The Worst Script Award goes to … Harvey Gates for a script in which Bela Lugosi's character can apparently vanish into thin air when at risk of discovery and capture.
And the Worst Director Award goes to … William Nigh for letting Lugosi chew up the scenery and not even giving him a decent supporting cast.
They Really Said It!
Amos Hanlin: “A busy man has very little time to engage in feminine emotions.”
Betcha Didn't Know
The Black Dragon Society was a real-world, ultranationalist Japanese organization founded in 1901. From the 1920s to
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