tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post3943689057014208593..comments2024-01-14T11:45:23.991-05:00Comments on Occasional Superheroine: Robert Downey Jr: "F**k DC Comics"Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-6392595342914378872008-09-28T22:43:00.000-04:002008-09-28T22:43:00.000-04:00I'm like totally late to the game here, but here I...I'm like totally late to the game here, but here I go:<BR/><BR/>First off--love, Love, LOVE Iron Man. Secondly, love, Love, LOVE RDJ.<BR/><BR/>Now that's out of the way:<BR/><BR/>Dark Knight is really very much in keeping with the DC way of doing things. In the DC universe, the heroes are...bascially...Gods. They weren't thrust unwillingly into their heroism, they had a choice, and chose to be Gods on earth for the good of all mankind.<BR/><BR/>Marvel heroes have their heroic status thrust upon them. They are either born that way (mutants), they are involved in a lab accident which creates their heroic persona (Spiderman, Hulk, Fantastic Four, etc) or they have to take on the hero mantle, because of their situation (IronMan).<BR/><BR/>That being said, I enjoy each set of films (Marvel and DC) as they are, and I repeat to myself,it's just a show, I should really just relax. LOL.<BR/><BR/>But, I have to take issue with "The Prestige". I saw it...I didn't like it. But I couldn't put into words what it was about it that I didn't like.<BR/><BR/>Thank God for PJ at Firebaton.com, for helping me out:<BR/><BR/>"Christopher Nolan's rather horrible thingy about turn of the century magicians one-uping each other over and over until you can't look at a canary without wanting to gouge your own eyes out."maryclevhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00785496858123839668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-37468533681002547792008-08-20T17:11:00.000-04:002008-08-20T17:11:00.000-04:00Do you think it's possible that there is a subconc...<B>Do you think it's possible that there is a subconcious dislike for all things DC in the back of your head due to the issues you had to go through when working for them?</B><BR/><BR/>Whether or not Val consciously or subconsciously dislikes DC, she's never done anything to make me feel she was being unfair to them.<BR/><BR/>One of the reasons I like this blog is that she can express her opinions like a grown-up. You won't find any of that "Bendis sux" or "JMS is a hack" from her... or the DC equivalents of such phrases.The Scalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01532419292156335019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-54856604610721440712008-08-20T10:56:00.000-04:002008-08-20T10:56:00.000-04:00Do you think it's possible that there is a subconc...Do you think it's possible that there is a subconcious dislike for all things DC in the back of your head due to the issues you had to go through when working for them?<BR/><BR/>This is an honest question... not a snide or sarcastic remark. <BR/><BR/>I myself was blown away by Dark Knight. The pain that Bruce, Harvey and Rachel go through in the movie. The feel of the film. The unreal performances... I liked Iron Man a LOT. It was an excellent film. However comparing it and Dark Knight is like comparing Bull Durham and The Godfather. I love both films and both have excellent performances, writing and look... but jeez.Patrick J. Nestor, Jr.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04476021827283026540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-72036064467726670062008-08-16T16:49:00.000-04:002008-08-16T16:49:00.000-04:00Oh no another DC versus Marvel, book versus movie,...Oh no another DC versus Marvel, book versus movie, NFL versus CFL debate! Errr, (you guys know what CFL is right?)<BR/><BR/>I haven't seen the Dark Knight but I enjoyed "Batman Returns".<BR/><BR/>I liked the Spidey, X-men and loved Iron Man.<BR/><BR/>The rest of the comic book adaptations have left me indifferent.<BR/><BR/>Robert Downey is a good actor but his comments on much of anything have left me cold since he woke up in the bed of some kid in the wrong house after a drug induced haze...<BR/><BR/><BR/>ArrrOOOooo!Reddoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13559973786098968456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-82662150314829248152008-08-16T15:57:00.000-04:002008-08-16T15:57:00.000-04:00I love Iron Man Robert Downey Jr. was great in it!...I love Iron Man Robert Downey Jr. was great in it!!BellaItalianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16254775088406302979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-51877360103812621192008-08-16T15:53:00.000-04:002008-08-16T15:53:00.000-04:00I think Robert D. Jr. is half and half about what ...I think Robert D. Jr. is half and half about what he said, but I think he might be a little jelous if he really did say F*%$ D.C. comics! Did he really say that? But I think Iron Man was a better movie because it's not so up tight as dark knight the people in the dark knight seem to look like they have sticks up their ass's they are way to serious.BellaItalianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16254775088406302979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-91090435139804830022008-08-16T14:53:00.000-04:002008-08-16T14:53:00.000-04:00I enjoyed both films for what they respectively ar...I enjoyed both films for what they respectively are. Both are worth the time, and the money to me.<BR/><BR/><I>C'est ça, ça suffit, c'est fini.</I>Dwight Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14389833479219422837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-29414201071130122632008-08-16T01:54:00.000-04:002008-08-16T01:54:00.000-04:00See, what I love about the Batman movies is how th...See, what I love about the Batman movies is how they analyze heroism, and that's the kind of philosophy that interests me. I love superheroes and I love to see what would motivate someone to put on a goofy costume and try to take on the world.<BR/><BR/>In Batman Begins, you get the actual motivation for it and the "people need a dramatic symbol to shake them out of apathy" idea.<BR/><BR/>In Dark Knight, we get to see how different types of heroes interact and the tragedies that can befall them.Lewis Lovhaughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06724769374732321363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-86290097165484895292008-08-15T19:01:00.000-04:002008-08-15T19:01:00.000-04:00Try watching Dark Knight all the way through befor...Try watching Dark Knight all the way through before criticizing it as inferior to Iron Man. The second time will be even better. It's damn near perfect storytelling. And while I liked Iron Man a great deal...an impressive film...it was no Dark Knight in terms of scope/depth. I'd place you among the world's minority when it comes to disliking Dark Knight.Mike Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15302936351549213639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-29908404779136175072008-08-15T12:37:00.000-04:002008-08-15T12:37:00.000-04:00there were very few fight scenes and the fight sce...there were very few fight scenes and the fight scenes they did have were lame. i love batman comics. and batman 1 2 and begins but go back and watch the fight scenes of TDK. LAME. still a dark and cool story line. the scene with the office and plane was priceless. I also like the allusion to "The Killing Joke". all it takes is one bad day.nortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01279306466508990462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-4882076741390181732008-08-15T00:44:00.000-04:002008-08-15T00:44:00.000-04:00See, I took it in a different direction and almost...See, I took it in a different direction and almost felt like RDJ was tweaking himself saying how he wasn't smart enough to get TDK rather then something more straightforward like Iron Man.<BR/><BR/>Which sounds like how many of the bigger critics have been going, Iron Man is the really good popcorn and simple action flick while TDK is the thinking man's action movie.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-86987966037587414252008-08-14T18:20:00.000-04:002008-08-14T18:20:00.000-04:00The point and storylines of both movies are so dif...The point and storylines of both movies are so different, it's hard to compare them. It would be a tougher question to ask which one had to prove itself more. I think the Dark Knight had to top Batman Begins, especially with all the stuff that happened before its release. Iron Man had to prove it could stand on its own, but really if it had only been as good as Daredevil there wouldn't be much disappointment.Kellohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08968990603380238489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-56007773136349571142008-08-14T15:52:00.000-04:002008-08-14T15:52:00.000-04:00Here's the deal: DC comics are mythology in the Jo...Here's the deal: DC comics are mythology in the Joseph Campbell sense of the word. Batman is a god of vengeance. Superman is a god of power. The Joker is a god of madness.<BR/><BR/>That's the canvas they work with. The characters are always, at their core, better than we could ever hope to be.<BR/><BR/>Marvel's characters, developed two decades later, are defined by their weaknesses and humanity. Blind lawyers, nebbish science students, brilliant surgeons with ruined hands, alcoholic businessmen, etc.<BR/><BR/>Both types of stories can be entertaining as hell. But Marvel's characters are almost always easier to relate to. Thy have real world problems and weaknesses. <BR/><BR/>I can see myself in Peter Parker or Tony Stark, I could never be as driven as Bruce Wayne or as certain of my morality as Clark Kent, though.<BR/><BR/>I thought the Dark Knight was fantastic when viewed in that context.John Marcottehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02112437311465554532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-29149140663843263492008-08-14T13:37:00.000-04:002008-08-14T13:37:00.000-04:00<<@snowprincess - Couldn't disagree with...<<@snowprincess - Couldn't disagree with you more about The Prestige.>><BR/><BR/>i've been meaning to check out the book. I mean, my sister loved Prestige, thought it was really good so I'm not saying anyone who likes it is crazy.<BR/><BR/>@RD Jr.<BR/><BR/>funny thing is, I've been trying to remember what happened at the end of Iron Man while I doubt I'll ever forget the end to Dark Knight...not because it was new gospel, but because it was better crafted. <BR/><BR/>What happened in Iron Man? The beginning had that journalist who didn't like cluster bombs sleeping with him because why should a woman care about cause or career when there's dick to be had? Way to ruin Ellis's great scene in Extremis. <BR/><BR/>Then RD Jr fools those terrorists who can't tell the difference between a missle and a suit of armor. The middle was where the movie shone, and the final fight crapped on that - which was another dumbing down of Extremis anyway. Where the movie deserves praise is in not making every Afghani a bad guy, and showing that while the US bemoans the Taliban the people there have it far, far worse.<BR/><BR/>And the end - I honestly don't remember. Does Stark stop making weapons - in which case goodbye stocks!<BR/><BR/>Simply stated - Iron Man was good for a comic book movie, Dark Knight was good for a movie. Saying something childish like "Fuck DC Comics" sounds like the sourest grapes to me.Snow Princesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01329739140984852039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-9450306945880846612008-08-14T13:03:00.000-04:002008-08-14T13:03:00.000-04:00I have a hard time comparing the movies because th...I have a hard time comparing the movies because they are different. Was <B>Gandhi</B> really a better movie than <B>Tootsie</B>? <BR/><BR/><B>Iron Man</B> was fun, but it reminds of a cheeseburger, which is great when you have it but cheeseburgers tend to be not so memorable. And I love cheeseburgers.<BR/><BR/><B>Dark Knight</B> was so different because of the tone, the ideas, the characters. (My wife--who's not a comic fan--and I were actually sucked in the first 30 minutes of <B>Dark Knight</B>.) <BR/><BR/>What I love about <B>Dark Knight</B> is the ambiguity at the time you watch, not unlike a good novels: you have something to think on and then figure out what the point is. <BR/><BR/>For example, I've seen several folks take <B>Dark Knight</B> as a kind of testament that you need to play rough with the bad guys and go Gitmo. But I think the movie was more of a statement against it, that Batman raised the level of violence in a way. (Who's to say that Dent and Gordon couldn't have done what they did without the Batman.)<BR/><BR/>Some folks don't like that kind of movie, one that isn't so clear cut. I do. I haven't thought twice about <B>Iron Man</B> since I left the theater: it was great as a fun movie, and I loved Downey's take on Stark. It had a political point, but it was a fairly obvious one. That doesn't make it less of a movie. <BR/><BR/>The funny thing is that I've not watched <B>Gandhi</B> since I first saw it, but <B>Tootsie</B> I've enjoyed several times since.guttertalkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11291384684736393643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-39915708286709115342008-08-14T12:05:00.000-04:002008-08-14T12:05:00.000-04:00@snowprincess - Couldn't disagree with you more ab...@snowprincess - Couldn't disagree with you more about The Prestige. And if you think the movie was outlandish, you should have read the original book by Christopher Priest.<BR/><BR/>No, not <I>that</I> Christopher Priest.Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06435582231180905967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-41976637987383665372008-08-14T10:55:00.000-04:002008-08-14T10:55:00.000-04:00I think I know what Downey is saying at least with...I think I know what Downey is saying at least with the Ferrari comment. I enjoyed the movie a great deal but it zips by so fast that I sometimes felt cheated. I wanted to really enjoy the scene of the Joker with his head sticking out of the police car window. It was a creepily beautiful (beautifully creepy?) shot but it's over so fast I didn't really have time to enjoy it. This and the movie seeming to forget that the Joker is still in the penthouse after Batman saves Rachel are the two most obvious examples and there are others but like I said nothing that ruined my enjoyment of the movie.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09469867615697637802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-22433744788897139512008-08-14T09:32:00.000-04:002008-08-14T09:32:00.000-04:00Much as I love Mr.Downey, Jr., I have to disagree ...Much as I love Mr.Downey, Jr., I have to disagree with him. I find Nolan's Batman films to have an ache, a yearning, that perfectly fits the character. Sure, I wish the female characters were there to do something more than provide motivation for the men, but that is a flaw that befalls most of the entertainment media in this country.<BR/><BR/>Also, Christian Bale!Martha Thomaseshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10503172214829000476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-57793314799912621012008-08-14T08:55:00.000-04:002008-08-14T08:55:00.000-04:00Dark Knight left me a little cold. I could tell I ...Dark Knight left me a little cold. I could tell I was watching a good movie, but I wasn't there emotionally. <BR/><BR/>I thought it was just fanboy fatigue. As others have pointed out, Dark Knight is just the latest of a long summer of blockbusters. Iron Man. Hellboy II. Wanted. Incredible Hulk. Burn-out seemed like a valid explanation.<BR/><BR/>But really, I think it's just as the Occasional Superheroine says: Iron Man had better character, more heart. To borrow from Orson Scott Card's MICE quotient (that stories tend to favor one or two of the following: milieu, idea, character, or event), Iron Man was a better film for characters, and Dark Knight was a better film for ideas. <BR/><BR/>Dark Knight and its predecessor were all about "What does it *mean* to be Batman (or Joker)?" (And they had the additional agenda of taking the ridiculous concept of a man in a bat costume and making it credible.) It's all about getting people to take the *idea* seriously.<BR/><BR/>Hellboy II tended to favor Milieu. They wanted to show us the amazing settings and creatures of Hellboy's world. <BR/><BR/>Meanwhile, Incredible Hulk tended to favor Event (not unusual for a comic book film, but I found it lacking in all the other categories). The action scenes were long, and the character scenes felt like they were cut short.<BR/><BR/>Basically, this summer's movies were all told in very different ways. They each had different agendas.<BR/><BR/>My favorite was Iron Man. Dark Knight was good, but the characters felt too much like chess pieces.The Scalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01532419292156335019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-12165183990645550022008-08-14T08:35:00.000-04:002008-08-14T08:35:00.000-04:00For my part, I thought they were both great. 'Iron...For my part, I thought they were both great. 'Iron Man' took the character back to his roots, and nailed it perfectly on every level, while 'Dark Knight' had that absolutely riveting performance by Heath Ledger as the Joker that carried the film.<BR/><BR/>(As soon as Ledger walked on-screen, I was hooked for the rest of the movie. Themes, subtext, yeah, they were there if I wanted them, but it was Ledger's Joker that sold me.)John Seaveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07221569513392130884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-84001884864529490832008-08-14T05:39:00.000-04:002008-08-14T05:39:00.000-04:00Dark Knight is finally here in Japan. I'm going t...<I>Dark Knight</I> is finally here in Japan. I'm going to try to see it tomorrow. <I>Iron Man</I> opens next month. I wasn't all that interested in <I>Iron Man</I> until I saw <I>Zodiac</I>.<BR/><BR/>Now I'm on a Robert Downey Jr. kick. The guy is awesome.<BR/><BR/>I hated <I>Superman Returns</I>. Superman as a loser. The best moments were the ones ripped off from the original movies. The rest of it was a big, dark downer. Funny how they're not in such a lather to make a sequel to that one.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17723952510039418615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-15901446810223982122008-08-14T05:11:00.000-04:002008-08-14T05:11:00.000-04:00"Downey earned my respect after this portrayal of ..."Downey earned my respect after this portrayal of Iron Man. Never thought of him as a great actor until now."<BR/><BR/>I thought that was going to be the 'quote of the week', but then i read...<BR/><BR/>"A Green Lantern movie would have benefited from a guy like Joel Schumacher."<BR/><BR/>...and now my eyes are bleeding.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02757783533803769654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-6925303039554912142008-08-13T23:48:00.000-04:002008-08-13T23:48:00.000-04:00Remember when Tony Stark just wanted an American c...Remember when Tony Stark just wanted an American cheeseburger? That's IRON MAN. Delicious. Comes with fries and a toy.<BR/><BR/>As for THE DARK KNIGHT...Have you seriously not watched the whole movie? Imagine just having seen the first 20 minutes of The Prestige. It's a complex story, with NO FAT. It needs to be reflected upon and considered. <BR/><BR/>It isn't the KILLING TERRORISTS WITH FLAMETHROWERS FUNTIME SHOW.Dean Trippehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04747690659717758337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-71043952012436746212008-08-13T22:35:00.000-04:002008-08-13T22:35:00.000-04:00I can't believe I just read a post bemoaning the d...I can't believe I just read a post bemoaning the decline of teen movies, and then you back up RDJ on saying "Dark Knight" was too complicated. I've seen Dark Knight 3 times now and have been blown away by the craft and dedication apparent in the making of the film, but where is this "no heart" criticism coming from? Bruce Wayne is the only character in the movie who doesn't think he'll be Batman for the rest of his life, and he embraces his fate in the end. Dent's rise and fall acts as a mirror to Batman's while Gordon's rise from Captain to Commissioner parallels it. Yes, I know what I'm describing has more to do with craft, but it takes an understanding and apprecation and admiration of the characters to put that much work into the story. Did anyone notice that they play the same musical theme when Gordon reunites with his son that they play whenever they show a moment between Bruce and his father in "Batman Begins?" To take these characters to that level takes nothing but heart.<BR/>"Iron Man" was great because Iron Man is easy. When you're talking about DC heroes, at least the big three, you're dealing with icons that mean something different to everyone. Marvel heroes have very personal identities, so the characterization is what's necessary to make a good Marvel movie. As long as Peter Parker's the hard luck hero, and Tony Stark's the brilliant but careless billionaire, (and the effects don't suck) you've got your movie. Don't get me wrong. I've loved just about every comic movie made since "Blade," but I'm not buying this "Iron Man" worship that's been going on since the movie came out. It was a great, fun movie. But (I think I'm stealing this from Roger Ebert) "Dark Knight" was about showing that the comic book super hero movie could rise to greater heights, whereas "Iron Man" was a little more paint by numbers.<BR/>GL movie would be awesome, but I think DC's always had trouble pushing it's second-tier characters because its business is selling icons, not characters.Jamisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01935199857997830842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-4439538314904362542008-08-13T20:58:00.000-04:002008-08-13T20:58:00.000-04:00Dark Knight is only about ten times the better fil...Dark Knight is only about ten times the better film. The last ten minutes of Iron Man with the stupid fight scene killed it.<BR/><BR/>I really don't get why RD Jr. hates Dark Knight so much.<BR/><BR/>As for the Prestige, that was pure trash. It was supposed to be about magic tricks and it ended up being about clones.Snow Princesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01329739140984852039noreply@blogger.com