Movie Review: "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World"

Normally I don't care enough to make more than a passing note of what films succeed or fail at the box office. If I liked a film, I consider it a success. If I dislike it, I don't care how much money it made - it remains a bad movie.

But once in awhile, moviegoers make a huge mistake. And last week, that was ignoring "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World," one of the year's most original, funny and enjoyable movies. Moviegoers instead decided they'd rather see Sylvester Stallone, Julia Roberts, Will Ferrell or take a third go-around with "Inception," leaving the adventures of Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) to settle for fifth place at $10 million.

Nothing against those choices - I enjoyed most of them. And I can understand why some may be a bit reluctant to see a film so heavily steeped in geek culture that it plasters its video game and comic book influences on the screen.

But gamer or not, there's a lot to enjoy in "Scott Pilgrim." Director Edgar Wright ("Shaun of the Dead," "Hot Fuzz") has crafted a modern-day slacker epic so packed full of action, romance, comedy and fantasy that the film sometimes seems at risk of toppling under its own whimsy. It's a miracle that Wright brings this all to life with a steady hand and a skill at controlling chaos, turning what could have been a hollow action-comedy into a funny, exciting and surprisingly smart look at maturity and relationships.

To be sure, Scott doesn't have much of either at the start of the film. A self-absorbed slacker who avoids steady jobs so he can play bass in his garage band Sex Bob-omb, Scott is rebounding from a broken heart by dating a 17-year-old high school student Knives Chau (Ellen Wong). Knives may be a poor dating option, but Scott isn't looking for a relationship - he's content to just stay at the hand-holding stage, so long as Knives tells him how much she adores him.

But then, one night, Scott meets the literal girl of his dreams when Amazon delivery girl Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) rollerblades through his subconscious. After a disastrous encounter at a party, Scott tries again with Ramona and the two start dating. Things are progressing nicely until Scott learns what every person who has been in a relationship discovers at one time or another: Partners come with baggage.

In this case, however, the baggage takes the form of seven evil ex-boyfriends, who Scott must battle to the death if he is to win Ramona's hand. These exes include a Bollywood-singing hipster (Satya Bhabha), a punk-rock chick (Mae Whitman), a psychic who gains his powers from veganism (Brandon Routh) and a Hollywood action star (Chris Evans).

These fights are staged by Wright with the flair and energy of musical numbers - sometimes literally employing song and dance. Influenced by gamer culture, "Scott Pilgrim" unleashes a visual and aural assault on audiences, with every "smack!" and "kapow!" boldly flashed onscreen, guitar bass lines that erupt into sonic waves and villains that transform into coins when they are defeated. Wright also employs comic book tropes - such as abrupt "panel shifts" in lieu of cuts and written narration - to keep the film moving at a bullet's pace.

There's so much wit on display - a Bollywood number here, vegan superpowers there - that "Scott Pilgrim" could easily risk being ADD-adled and empty. But Wright, who showed a skill at tweaking genres while celebrating them with his previous films, allows the film to show a surprising maturity and understanding. Scott never questions his newfound skills or ridiculous situation because, as a slacker steeped in gamer culture, this is how the world appears to him. Who hasn't felt like they've had to fight against the men or women their current love knew in the past? And who hasn't ever looked forward to falling in love, only to discover that it's a battle and we have to face our own demons, put a little elbow grease into the relationship and do some growing up - even if it means facing our own flaws. "Scott Pilgrim" may be hilarious fun, but there's a strong heart propelling it from start to finish.

It helps that all the comedic anarchy is grounded by one of the year's best ensembles. Cera is the go-to guy for playing awkward youths, but he finds new notes to play as self-obsessed, somewhat narcissistic Pilgrim. Winstead ably portrays Ramona as the punk girl every guy wants, with an air of mystery about her. Each of the evil exes appear to be having the time of their lives hamming it up for the role, but none get as many laughs as Routh, playing the perfect tool as the Vegan supervillain. Even the supporting actors get big laughs in their scenes; Wong has an enthusiasm and innocence about Knives that makes her a sympathetic heroine, and Kieran Culkin steals the film's biggest laughs as Scott's sardonic gay roommate.

Every year I ask for just one movie that shows me something I haven't seen before. And while "Inception" deservedly gets a lot of attention for its trippy narrative and action sequences, "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" blasts out of the gate with so much visual wit, energy and charm that it's impossible to dislike. It opens, with an 8-bit video game graphic of the Universal logo and charges through, never putting the same joke on screen twice, and gaining big laughs from its plethora of video game, television, movie and comic book references. By the time the film ends, asking the audience if we'd like to continue, I was already reaching for more quarters.

Movie Review: "Iron Man 2"

It may be hard to remember right now, but when "Iron Man" blasted onto the screen in 2008, its success was a bit of a surprise.

Comic book movies were popular, but "Hulk," "Fantastic Four," and "Spider-man 3" had recently proven that the formula was vulnerable. Tony Stark may be a big player in the Marvel comic world and a geek icon, but there was question as to whether the hero had a fan base outside of the comic book stores. Besides, the brooding "Dark Knight," just a month away from release, seemed to be saying that audiences wanted their heroics with a bit of angst and soul-searching.

But, we know the story. Robert Downey Jr. and director Jon Favreau's funny, exciting and witty take on the Marvel hero not only was a critical and commercial smash, but it also paved the way for Marvel Studios to begin laying the groundwork for future superhero adventures and crossovers between characters...just a few months after "Iron Man's" release, Tony Stark would show up in "The Incredible Hulk." It wasn't that "Iron Man" did anything we hadn't seen before...it's that it did everything so well and with such confidence that it was impossible not to have a great time.

"Iron Man 2" bursts out of the gate with the confidence still in check, with Robert Downey Jr. crash landing at the Stark Expo and emerging from his metal suit to proclaim "It's good to be back" before launching into a monologue full of Stark's egotistical ramblings and boasts. Once again, it's the superhero as rock star, and while Stark may have quit the arm's race and taken up the mantel of world protector, Downey is quick to remind us that the character is a flawed, overly-cocky narcissist, someone who would be annoying if he wasn't so darn charming.

Of course, much like Christian Bale's portrayal of Bruce Wayne, Stark's reckless public persona masks deeper concerns. The material used to power Stark's heart and Iron Man's metal getup is quickly poisoning the billionaire. He's trying to find a replacement, but it's hard to find time with a Senator (Gary Shandling) breathing down his back, demanding the Iron Man suit be turned over to the U.S. military. Even his friends are turning on him, with trusted sidekick Rhodes (Don Cheadle, stepping in for Terrence Howard this time around) testifying against him at the Senate Hearings and able assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) trying to acclimate to her new role as Stark Industries CEO.

Things are about to get worse. A Russian baddie (Mickey Rourke) who blames Stark's father for stealing credit from the work done by his own dad is developing a suit much like Tony's, but with strange electric whips on the side. A competitor named Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) hopes to utilize the new villain to make a name for himself--something he's never been able to do from under Stark's shadow. Meanwhile, SHIELD agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) has amped up his screen time to include more than just the film's end credits this time, and he's keeping an eye on Tony to talk about his secret "Avengers Initiative." And then there's the quiet, sexy little assistant to Stark (Scarlett Johansson), who has a few secrets of her own.

Yes, there are a lot of characters and plot threads to keep in line in this second go-around. And at times you can feel the joints bending and rivets stressing to keep everything in place with the right balance of humor, adventure and romance. But for the most part, "Iron Man 2" manages to be just as exciting, witty and fun as its predecessor, even if it never really takes the story to the levels of other comic book sequels, like "Dark Knight" or "Spider-man 2."

In a genre most known for incredible special effects and set pieces, it's still refreshing to see a comic book movie that gains so much of strength for its cast. Downey doesn't reveal much new depth about Stark this time around, but he's clearly having a great time playing the wisecracking, womanizing hero for a second time. I love the looseness he brings to the performance, the live-wire energy that makes us belief Stark would vacation in Monaco and then, on a whim, race his own car down the city streets. Any actor could handle the melodramatic moments of Stark contemplating his own mortality or discovering the truth about his father; Downey makes those cliched moments work because he's brought so much life and humor to the role in the throwaway moments. It's hard to believe that with the first "Iron Man," Downey was seen as a major risk---with this and "Sherlock Holmes," he's commandeering two franchises, and it's obvious he has a blast with both of them.

Of course, a hero is only as good as his villain. Rourke, not wasting the cache brought to him by his "Wrestler" rebound is solid as the Russian bad guy out to kill Stark. He plays the heavily-tattooed, snarling heavy not as a monster, but as a man out to avenge his father. He may be trying to kill our hero, but he's doing so to avenge what he sees as wrongdoing. Rourke makes him both fearsome and surprisingly sympathetic, a combination that often makes for delicious villains.

Stealing the show is Rockwell as Hammer, the darker side of Tony Stark. Rockwell was one of the original actors in contention to play Stark in the first "Iron Man," and I love how he plays Hammer as just as quirky and weird as Stark, the same confidence through a creepy sheen. Rockwell's work in "Moon" was my favorite performance of 2009 and he's quickly becoming one of my absolute favorite actors to watch.

Everyone else is reliably solid, but given the packed roster, there's little for them to do. Potts' and Starks' screwball chemistry was the highlight of the first film and when they're together here, that spark comes through again. But with the busy plot, their would-be romance seems shoehorned in and best left to be resolved in a third film. Favreau gives himself a bit more screentime as bodyguard Happy Hogan, although he's little more than comic relief. Cheadle is fine as always, although he seems to be a bit stiff when delivering his one-liners; Howard had a looseness about him that I liked. Jackson acts like the coolest cat in the room (as always) and Johansson stands (and kicks) around looking pretty, but it strongly feels like the actors are biding their time until the "Avengers" movie comes around in 2012.

In one sense, there are certain moments where "Iron Man 2" feels like an "Avengers" prequel, existing to set up another movie. There are blatant references to Captain America and Thor, both of whom have movies that will be released next year to further set the stage for "The Avengers." Were the principle cast not so engaging and Favreau unable to keep the action moving fast and furious, this would easily feel like a placeholder.

Instead, we're so captivated by Stark and Co. that even when the sequences feel like trailers for an upcoming movie, we quickly forget them once we're on to the next scene. I liked the feeling of a larger world beyond this film, and it's set up so that comic book novices can enjoy it just as much as die hard geeks.

Favreau, criticized by some for not packing "Iron Man" with a ton of action, ladles on the set pieces with skill here, from a brutal fight in Monaco to a bone-crushing brawl at Stark's pad to a fantastically choreographed climax featuring to Iron Men against an Army of robots. The action sequences, while using large amounts of CGI, feel thoroughly rough and brutal, sometimes ending a bit quickly, but still leaving the audience rightfully walloped. The action is fun to watch, but never detracts from the bigger story.

In the end, "Iron Man 2" may not achieve the scope-widening triumphs of its comic book brethren. But Downey is still fun to watch, Favreau can craft a thrilling action sequence and there's a sense of joy and humor about the enterprise that keeps everything enjoyable and exciting.

It's a machine that gets the job done, even if the joints start to show some wear. Let's hope "Iron Man 3" puts some oil on and avoids getting rusty.

Movie Review: "Kick Ass"

To discuss "Kick Ass" properly, I'm going to need to venture into heavy spoiler territory at times. Consider yourself warned.

When I was growing up, superheroes were worth looking up to.

Superman was the iconic boyscout, helping the downtrodden and protecting the vulnerable. Spiderman was the geek kid in all of us, suddenly blessed with amazing powers and able to overcome his insecurities. Batman pursued justice by going to where the police couldn't.

All the heroes had a code. Stand up for truth, justice and the American way. With great power comes great responsibility. Even the Dark Knight had a code of conduct, refusing to brandish a firearm or kill a villain.

In "Kick Ass," the titular hero gives lip service to Spidey's admirable mantra. He then dons a jet pack, graphically mows down dozens of bad guys with a Gatling gun and fires a bazooka straight into a mobster's belly. This is after an 11-year-old girl has shot, stabbed, sliced and diced dozens of thugs and had her face beaten to a bloody pulp by the aforementioned mobster. Don't even ask what her parents think about this...after all, her dad trained her to fight. He also doesn't seem that phased when she uses language that puts sailors to shame, including uttering the two verboten "c-words."

"Kick Ass," from director Matthew Vaughn ("Layer Cake," "Stardust") is like someone put "Superbad," "Kill Bill" and "Spiderman" in a blender. It's a rather frustrating film to write about. From a technical level, there are some wonderfully fun and visceral action sequences. The film's earliest scenes have a real sense of wit and personality, it's populated with actors doing some truly fine performances and the premise itself is loaded with potential. But the film, based on a comic book by Mark Millar ("Wanted") is so obsessed with being extreme and edgy that it sabotages itself, drawing us out of the film with its vulgarity and carnage just when we're starting to enjoy ourselves.

Like I said, the premise is a lot of fun. High school geek Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is tired of being ignored by girls, mugged by crooks and suffering through his dreary existence. Sitting at a comic book shop with his friends, Dave wonders why no one has ever dressed up in tights and stood up for the oppressed. So he orders a hideous green scuba suit over the Internet and heads out to stop evil-doers as Kick Ass. His first time out, he's stabbed in the stomach and hit by a car. But a trip to the hospital, some metal plating and nerve damage that renders him impervious to pain, and Dave hits the streets again. One of these run-ins finds Dave facing down three thugs. Filmed on a cell phone and posted on Youtube, Kick Ass becomes a cultural icon.

But while Dave is playing superhero, others are training to be the real thing. Particularly Damon Macready (Nicolas Cage) and his 11-year-old daughter Mindy (Chloe Grace Moretz). Out to avenge his wife's death, caused by a vicious mob boss (Mark Strong), Damon dons a Batman-like outfit, calls himself Big Daddy and gets deadly vengeance. As purple-haired Hit Girl, Mindy has moves that would make Tony Jaa feel like an invalid, is a crack-shot with a pistol and has wisecracks that would make John McClane take notes. When we meet them, they are having some bonding time, as Big Daddy prepares Hit Girl to take a bullet in the chest. It's okay; after two more rounds, he promises bowling and ice cream.

It's a twisted subplot, but it's played for dry, absurdist humor. Ebert noted in his review that Cage is probably the only person who can make shooting a child funny and he's right. Riffing on the whole kids-as-vigilantes subtext that has existed in comic books since Robin donned his mask and cape, Cage and Moretz's scenes hit a smarter level of satire than the rest of the movie operates on. Cage plays Big Daddy as a nerdy, Ned Flanders-meets-Dirty Harry father figure and Moretz has a wit and timing that are past her age.

The scenes with Dave and Kick Ass are fun, particularly as he draws closer to the girl of his dreams (Lyndsy Fonseca), but only because she thinks he's her gay best friend. Dave eventually crosses paths with Big Daddy and Hit Girl and learns that he's out of his league alongside real-life heroes. But he finds a hopeful ally in Red Mist (Christopher Mintz Plasse), the son of the villain who's out to discover Kick Ass's secret identity. While a few bumbling McLovin' moments still come through, Plasse delivers some of his strongest work here, giving his character a tragic dimension as he seeks to earn his father's approval. Avid comic book readers will know where his arc is going.

The film tweaks not only comic books but superhero movies in particular, with the outlandish and uncomfortable costumes, physically-impossible stunts and breakneck, energetic action pieces. There are moments where the humor and excitement come together brilliantly and, in those moments, the film has an energetic fun and charge to it that fully realize the premise's potential. When Hit Girl dispatches a room of thugs, set to "Sesame Street"-style music, it's a vervy, visceral moment that carries a giddy thrill.

But when the action stops, Vaughn can't seem to settle on a tone for the movie. On the one hand, he seems attracted to the premise of "real-life superheroes" and loves showing Dave being pummeled by thugs and bleeding when he's cut. But the next moment, the mob villains are cartoonish thugs and Kick Ass and Red Miss are mugging for the cameras as they cruise the town. The tonal shifts didn't really bother me until a brutal sequence later in the film, when the movie turns surprisingly dark and grim, at odds with the film's earlier fun, satirical tone.

And I know, tonal shifts are not bad things. After all, "Kill Bill" shifted from giddy exploitation fest to dark Western, and I regard that as one of my favorite movies. And "Kill Bill" is likely going to be one of the films that this is compared to, based on its blood-letting and devil-may-care swagger.

But the difference is that Quentin Tarantino never set "Kill Bill" in anything resembling the "real world." Everything took place in some weird place in the director's brain, a mixture of movie reels and genres that resulted in a stylish, energetic romp where nothing was to be taken extremely seriously. "Kick Ass" posits the idea of "super heroes in the real world" and then becomes just as over-the-top as the movies it lovingly parodies.

And like I said, despite the tonal shifts, the film is well-filmed and acted. It can't be described as "style over substance," because there is a deeper mindset at work here.

Unfortunately, that substance is all-too-often revealed to be vile, as "Kick Ass" peppers its action with vulgarity and gratuitous gore. It has attitude to spare, that's for sure, but it's attitude and desire to be edgy end up sabotaging the film.

"Kick Ass" owes a lot visually and thematically to Sam Raimi's first "Spiderman" film. The color palette, the narration and the humor are all reminiscent of that movie. And as Dave considers being a superhero, we get the same sense of naivety and innocence that Peter Parker had. And then we get riffs on masturbation and constant use of the f-word. Hit Girl shows up and spouts the two aforementioned "c-words." It's as if Kevin Smith finally got his wish to write a superhero movie.

And yes, I'm mentioning that the obscenity offended me. I'm usually not offended by language in a film--heck, "Goodfellas" is one of my favorite movies. But I've always maintained that obscenity should be used if it showcases the reality or is true to the characters. Here, it's a stunt. It's the filmmakers, so intent on being "ironic," that they say "hey, remember how awesome Spiderman was? What if he said the f-word? Or masturbated to thoughts of his teacher?". When Hit Girl uses the vilest of the c-words, it's not because it underscores anything or adds anything to the character or world that Vaughn has created. Rather, it's just that the filmmakers think it's going to be edgy and talked about to have an 11-year-old girl say a word that most adults cringe at.

And yes, I've heard the criticism that people are spending too much time worried about the language and aren't as worried about the violence Hit Girl commits. But I understand the joke here--nothing she's doing is physically possible; Vaughn is having fun with the idea of a young girl outplaying violent thugs at their own game. Like the House of Blue Leaves fight in "Kill Bill" the carnage isn't too disturbing because it's so stylized that we realize much of it is not to be taken seriously. However, Vaughn never seems to know when the line has been crossed and often tiptoes too far over. It's all in good fun to see Hit Girl go hand-to-hand with the mob boss as an equal; it stops being entertaining when he starts pummeling her in the face.

And yet, the graphic nature of the violence also bothered me. In my mind, the appeal of being a superhero is to do impossible feats, save lives and be...well...heroic. Being a murderer never crosses my mind. There's always a chuckle when Spider-man ties up the bad guys in a web; there's something honorable about Batman keeping the Joker from falling to his death, allowing him to stay in a cell rather than lowering himself to his level.

In "Kick Ass," the heroes are not too bad with their fists. But when the third act pulls out the guns and knives, it becomes a bit less joyful and fun. I don't think gore is necessarily a detriment to action but here it's gratuitous and present for shock value. I'm sure some would argue that Vaughn is showing that "when you get hit in real life, you bleed"...but watch the carnage unfold and tell me if you really are seeing reality here.

Of course, when I was a kid my friends and I would pretend to be ninjas. And we'd pretend to slice and dice our foes. "Kick Ass" has that same juvenile quality to it. Rather than appeal to adults who can understand the joy in the initial idea and sort through the satire, it tosses in vulgarity and over-the-top violence to satiate teenage boys who think killing is fun and blowing people away is sweet. And don't try and tell me that the film is R-rated and those kids won't see it; this film's marketing--which portrays it as a fun, light comedy--has been squarely targeted at teens and even kids. Only its title gives the slightest hint that only older folk are prepared for what's in store.

And maybe I'm in the minority. After all, there was a very vocal group in the theater with me that broke into spontaneous applause on four separate occasions. Maybe I'm just old, or maybe I'm becoming more of a prude than I was in my early twenties.

Those things are all possible, but I think there's another reason. I recognized the glimmer of a story that could be told with fun, wit and energy. And on several occasions, "Kick Ass" achieves that promise. But then it succumbs to a desire to please the lowest common denominator, get cheap laughs from the "Superbad" crowd and toss gratuitous gore in to keep its "edge." The seeds are there for a great story; I'm sad to see it settle for this.

But hey, I'll keep my hopes up. After all, established heroes like Iron Man are still on the horizon for this summer. I look forward to them proving that heroes don't need to curse or kill to capture our attention. Till then, I'll remain a prude...I feel less guilty that way.