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The Latest On SPIDER-MAN
Folks, I've been doing a lot of phoning about SPIDER-MAN... And it seems that the rumors are going to end up being true. It looks very much like Mr Casablanca's gossip throwaway about Chris O'Donnell running through the halls at Sony screaming that he was Spider-Man... well... That would be a true one. Count on Chris O'Donnell being Spider-Man... Also... Count on Sonnenfeld directing. Also... count on the mad scientist angle, but it seems set to be Doc Ock... and the word is currently.... that Sony is going to offer more money than God has to get Arnold Schwarzeneggar to play him, thus reuniting Chris and Arnold for the first time since BATMAN & ROBIN.
I've had a decidedly negative tone about this whole SPIDER-MAN movie information as of late. I have read that some feel it's some sort of vendetta from Sonnenfeld's press decree against folks like me. Quite frankly, Barry can bellyache all he wants... My critics in Talk Back are far more vicious and vocal.
The reasons I am not a Sonnenfeld fan go back long before WILD WILD WEST... I'm not a fan of MEN IN BLACK... And for me, once you get past Scott Frank's script for GET SHORTY... I found the film soulless. The only film of his as director that I like is ADDAMS FAMILY and the Wednesday segments in ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES.
You see... Sonnenfeld's films just feel emotionally empty for me. And a film where ya cast someone like Chris O'Donnell as Peter Parker... when you could be going with a Wes Bentley, Ed Norton... hell one could even make Leo really really dorky looking with a crew cut and bad glasses... turning him into Puny Parker without too much work. Chris O'Donnell is closer to the guys that were always hanging out with Flash Thompson. How good he looks with his shirt off is unimportant because... frankly... The guy in the Spidey costume can be either Ray Park or Jet Li or a host of Woo-Ping Yuen's trained stuntmen from Hong Kong... Of course Chris O'Donnell is an actor... he's even been a good one in the past. But frankly... Ya see... this is a story about a guy with amazing abilities that comes home every night to see his ancient widowed aunt staring at photos of Ben... And it tears at him. He's racked by guilt, the costume, the web-slinging... it's an escape... He puts on that mask and becomes Don Juan Demarco... he's no longer Peter Parker... He's the amazing Spider-Man. That's what I want.
Also... this stuff about Arnold and Dr Octopus... Sony... fans dealt with this years ago. Folks didn't want to see Arnold in this role... He's much better as Sandman or Venom... However.... Anthony Hopkins would be fantastic, in my opinion. Or... Lance Henriksen. If BATMAN AND ROBIN taught us anything, it was that going waaaay over the top was... Baaaad... Arnold is simply not right for this. The idea of Arnold with four metal tentacles coming out from his waist is just... not good.
If you go with Sonnenfeld... well... best of luck. His action scenes are often times muddled and uninvolving. His character moments... weak. He makes great trailers though. He's the sort of director that gets ya a $55-60 million opening weekend with a 45% to 65% dropoff your second week. This movie done right... Buries the grosses for SUPERMAN and BATMAN. Not because the character is intrinsically better... He's simply... Dashing... Adventurous... appealling to the waaaay young and the older age groups as well. He's not so invincible that you cease to care for him, yet he's able to do more than mortal man... He's a kid... struggling to pay the bills... He's beaten down at work. Gets turned down for dates. HE'S REAL. It's what defined the 'MARVEL AGE'.
I've been wanting to see this movie since Cannon took out that 2 page ad in Variety way back in the mid-eighties. Before that I watched SPIDER-MAN AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS.... before that it was "he's got radioactive blood..." and the comics. When I got my sister her first bicycle.. it was a Spiderman bike. I had the magnetic grip Spidey toy... I thought ELECTRIC COMPANY was the coolest because Spider-Man was just... awesome there.
From a kid that has easily spent over $3000 on Spiderman toys over the years, and well more than that on the comics... I'm just asking that for once in Hollywood's life... READ THE COMIC... If while reading it you feel like you need to... PUNCH IT UP A BIT TO MAKE IT COOLER.... then leave the project now. You don't get it. Begin with AMAZING FANTASY 15... and read the entire comic. This movie could be the biggest cash cow Sony has ever seen... Make all the money... I want to buy tickets to see this movie 40 times.... I want to line up a week ahead of time. But ya have to make the best movie possible... not the quickest.
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Barry isn't the man for this, and I don't think Cameron is good enough for this. I want a character driven film. The comic book film is still Superman, nothing can beat it's large than life feel, it's adventure, it's fun and most importantly, a big red heart.
Spidy will make lots of money, but so do other blockbusters, they were not GREAT though.
I only see Ed Norton is this role, the guy is perfect, he can bring emotions to Peter Parker. -
see, isn't that a much better way of announcing yourself as a firstie? i feel much better... if o'donnell really is spider-man, and if ahnuld really is doc ock, and if will smith shows up anywhere in this movie (does sonnenfeld have nasty polaroids?), i certainly will not see this movie. how disappointing and depressing. it really pisses me off when hollywood demands a bankable cast, and comes away with actors that are so far from what the established characters are supposed to be like. maybe stan lee can take a page from john irving and distance himself from this movie a la simon birch. maybe we could have this movie called "super spider-like action hero man," and doc ock can be captain squid villian. just a thought...
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if this movie gets made with those 3 involved, i think a small part inside every one of us will die.....
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THIS CANNOT HAPPEN. THIS WILL BE THE BIGGEST MESS IN HOLLYWOOD HISTORY. CHRIS O'DONNELL, I DON'T FREAKING THINK SO!
I SAY WE ALL BOYCOTT THIS PROJECT RIGHT!
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Pick somebody who actually looks like the character for a change, who can act, and save $20 million in the bargain. But Noooo! Even though Arnold sucked golf balls through a garden hose as Mr. Freeze, Sony'll shovel a truckload of money at him so he can murder another good villain. Once again, Hollywood shows that they just don't get it.
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Chris o'Donnell as Peter Parker? BArry Sonnenfeld Directing? If it's also based on Camerons distinctly lacklustre treatment - this movie is gong to deserve it place alongside 'CAptain America' in the bargain bucket at video stores!
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i have to go along with harry on this one, i think sonnenfeld(sp?) blames sites like AICN for wild wild wests failure and he's gonna deliberately fuck up this potentially brilliant project as revenge....as for arnie, i hope he has enough sense to say no to this project, no matter how much they offer him, besides, his schedule is overloaded as it is already, he doesn't need this too.....still praying for a miracle
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George Reeves was a dead-on Clark Kent and a dead-on Superman. So was Christopher Reeve. So, for that matter, was Dean Cain. Why can we get three great live-action Clark Kent/Supermans, but Hollywood can't find one actor worthy to fill Nicholas Hammond's shoes when it comes to playing Peter Parker/Spiderman? Yes, that old, occasional live-action CBS Spiderman series was cheesy. Yes, Spidey used his webshooters about three times an episode, and his athletic powers seemed pitifully diminished. For that matter, the George Reeve Superman was no planet-tilting Doomsday-punching Man of Steel either. But at least we could take the CHARACTER seriously. Hammond WAS Peter Parker, and he was Spiderman. Universal Studios has already demonstrated that modern technology can give us a webslinging hero whose powers are all they're meant to be. It remains to be seen whether Sony can give us a story about that hero we can care about, brought to life by an actor we can all recognize as the legend we know and love. (I think it's significant that O'Donnell is supposed to be shouting "I'm Spiderman, I'm Spiderman!" and not "I'm Peter Parker! I'm Peter Parker!" Because he isn't.)
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Maybe the world will end before this hits the screen- this would prove there is a god.
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I think I'll just wait for the video release. This thing stinks to high heaven.
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Chris O'Donnell was fine as Robin (in my opinion) but ALL WRONG as Spidey. The reasons why will surely be discussed ad nauseum in talkbacks from now until this abomination's release date (if this nightmare turns out to be true). As for Sonnenfeld, you have got to be fucking kidding. Sony might as well get Sam Raimi whose style Sonnenfeld has actively ripped off all these years but unlike Sonnenfeld can actually make a decent movie (and whose sense of humor is right up Spidey's alley). This should be the most anticipated comic book film of all time - instead it's likely to be the most dreaded. That's what I call typical Parker luck.
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EDDIE FURLONG! Follow me on this one: He
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Harry, this time I agree completely with you. The idea of Sonnenfeld's work as being soulless sums it up for me. I thought the Addams Family movies had some good moments, but they never transcended the level of feature length sitcoms. (This is perhaps forgivable in light of the source material, but I expect a little bit more at the theater.) I thought Men in Black was highly overrated. It had some good lines and a few good moments, but almost all of them were revealed in the trailers -- a telling sign. I left that movie feeling slighted by its barely over 90 minutes length and shaking my head at how much unrealized potential the concept held. Get Shorty was also an overrated disappointment for me. Again, it had some good lines and good moments, but the intangibles that would put it over the top were missing. I left that one wondering if I was supposed to care about any of the characters. I did not bother to see Wild Wild West. And now we have Spiderman. I wasn't a comic junkie as a youngster, but when I did buy comics they were most often Spiderman. I loved Spiderman and his Amazing Friends on Saturday morning. Peter Parker's geekiness and sly, intelligent wit always resonated with me. Needless to say, Sonnenfeld's directing and Arnold as Dr. Octopus do not instill me with much confidence. I still harbor a little bit of hope for this project -- but not much.
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Please, someone find a way to resurrect Brandon Lee. He would have soooo perfect for Spidey.
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Growing up with the great animated Web-Head of the '70s and anticipating the new comics every month...this just breaks my heart to hear. Chris O'Donnell has NO BUSINESS touching this role. Peter Parker is supposed to be a skinny little kid who gets pushed around by Flash and all his jock buddies...not some Harvard GQ Looking punk ass franchise killer like O'Donnell. Goddammit!!! Hollywood's killed Batman, now they're gonna put Spidey in his grave WITH THE FIRST FUCKING MOVIE?!?!? At least Bats got one great one under his belt with Burton. Barry Sonnenfeld is a talentless hack and the fact that he's getting this just shows how out of touch these people are with the comic world. MIB was complete crap, and WWW was Will Smith's well-deserved reality check. "Big Willie Weekend" my ass! Newsflash Will Smith...NOBODY SAW THAT HORRID PIECE OF SHIT ID4 BECUASE YOU WERE IN IT!! White House blowing up in the trailer = big bucks from the blockbuster sheep. FUCK!!! Arnold as Doc Oc?!?! This is fucking painful...DO YOU UNDERSTAND SONY THAT YOU'RE KILLING THE SUPERHERO THAT I'VE LOVED MY WHOLE LIFE?!?! YOU HEARTLESS FUCKS!!! If there is a God...he must stop this travesty from being put to film. I'm gonna go read my Secret Wars issue where Spidey kicks the X-Men's asses...and I'm gonna cry for awhile.
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Nor is anyone I know. Sonnenfeld IS a souless filmmaker and a complete drag! O'Donnel is such an incredible BORE! Zero charisma! Clearly they want this to be for the 13 and under crowd. Thanks Hollywood & Sony. Yet, they'll probably be laughing all the way to the bank on this crap!
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Man, I can't believe this. Sonnenfeld is just a lame Tim Burton-wannabe. Chris O'Donnell as Peter Parker????? This is the worst idea you studio people have come up with since your kind tried to remake PSYCHO. There's no way in hell I'm seeing the SPIDER MAN movie now.
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Does Hollywood feel embarrassed for "Batman & Robin"? Is it just in our "Fandom" that that movie is laughed at?
Hollywood MUST not share our feelings. Why would Sony start the ball rolling with such negative hype?? You'd also think that both Chris & Arnold would want to stay as far away as possible from each other to avoid ANY similarities to the disaster that they have in common.
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This news makes me realize that this film can become a HUGE STINCKING PILE OF DOG SHIT. Please Arnold, don't take this film after BATSHIT and ROBIN. If a hardcore director like Cameron were involved, a great script and Cameron again, then maybe but don't piss people off again. If this team of: Arnold, Barry and Chris goes through, I will not be excited about this film anymore (I wasn't after Cameron fell off anyways). SSZero, I bet you are shocked at me even if Arnold is mentioned?
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Dec 01, 1999 8:48:19 AM CST
First Sony screws up Godzilla, now Spider-man. Where will it en
by yodas_ghost
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First time contributor, long time fan. Spider Man is and will always be one of my favorite comic book characters, so I am anxiously awaiting a movie...but for Chris O'Donnell to be Peter Parker, and Barry Sonnenfeld to direct isn't right. In my mind, the powers that be at Sony think that if they get a "name" as the main character, it guarantees them a built in audience. They don't need a name. Spider Man is such a ubiquitous part of 20th century pop culture that people are going to go to the movie no matter who you cast in the title role. Chris O'Donnell doesn't have the chops to do this part. He knows how to play the Hollywood shuffle, and he's blandly handsome. Non-offensive. The type of guy the girl takes home to meet her grandmother. He has never suggested anything in his previous roles that brings to mind Peter Parker, and make no mistake, Peter Parker is who they should be casting for, not Spider Man. It's Peter Parker wearing a mask, not Spider Man pretending to be Peter Parker. My preference? Not that it makes a shit, but Wes Bentley and Tobey Maguire are the two names that immediately come to mind. As far as Sonnenfeld goes...Harry is right. His trailers look great, but based on what I've read about his reactions to the character, he's not in love with Spider Man. Cameron, Cameron, where are for art thou, Cameron? With Arnold as Doc Ock . . . well, it's doable, but I would have to agree with one of my fellow talk back citizens, Larry Drake WOULD kick butt in that role. Would I see a Spider Man movie with those people (O'Donnell and the rest of the etceteras)? Yes, I would, but I would be dissapointed in myself for going.
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Elton John. I am writing this one off as of this moment. I will not even continue to worry myself over it. I know that some posters with harangue me with: but what if they change this or get this actor. That's fine, but from this point forward we know that the people helming this have no clue. They will never have one. Another one bites the dust...
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will harangue me with
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Big deal--it's just a movie. All you fanboys still have your precious comic books...even if they get Buddy Ebson to play Spidy, it's not like the character is permanently ruined! In the end, most of you will be "ooh"ing and "ah"ing the second you see a stuntman in that silly costume swing from a web and stick to the side of a skyscraper. That's what happened with Burton's BATMAN--nobody ever mentions that the movie drags and that Keaton looks like a fool in that huge, wobbly rubber helmet and S&M get-up--all anyone ever says is "Ooh it's dark...ah,it's so serious...wow, it ain't Adam West...". Face it, once you're in that theatre, most of you will start masturbating (O'Donnell and Sonnenfeld or not)!
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...By throwing your (considerable) weight around - in ALL senses of the word. If Lame-o Sonnenfeld is already blaming sites like yours for killing his movie, why not make it justified. Undertake to verbally bash this one 'til opening day. Of course, the irony is that (if it all turns out to be true and not some horrible nightmare) with him in charge and wussies like O'Donnell in it, it might actually end up looking JUST LIKE those old Greenway shorts where they used the comic art to make it look authentic, yet there was no animated expression - just changing poses and maybe the mouths moved.
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Say your prayers, cross your fingers, and hope for a miracle, true-believers. I really don't want to see Sony screw up the Spider-Man mythos. This movie should be about Peter Parker's origin as Spidey, the death of Uncle Ben, etc. The perfect guy in my eyes to direct this film is DESPERADO's Robert Rodriguez. The guy knows how to give any script a sense of awesome vitality. I felt so bad when he dropped out of the ZORRO project (but luckily THE MASK OF ZORRO still turned out to be a winner.) Anyway, I'm hoping against hope that this potential franchise doesn't die before it's even born. -- Nick
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Y'know. When I first heard all this crap, I took it as an opportunity to goof on "Wild Wild West" and Chris "Potato Head" O'Donnell. Now that it appears to be true, I feel nothing but sadness. The fact that every good idea gets pissed on by the cornholers in the studio system and we as fans are truly powerless to stop it just plain sucks. Whatever we write here, however loud we yell, if the Sony bone smugglers want Potato Boy and Sonnenfeld...they'll get them and we'll be stuck with another crapfest that just spits in our collective faces. I'm beyond the point of being angry. If this is true, I'm just sad. Friends, it's time we faced one immutable fact:NOBODY IN HOLLYWOOD GIVES A DAMN ABOUT WHAT THE FANS THINK! If they thought they could make a buck casting the guy who played Screech on "Saved by the Bell" as Spiderman, Rip Taylor as Doc Ock, that fat girl from "All That" as Mary Jane and get Mel Brooks to direct the whole thing, they would do it in a heartbeat.
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Harry, I am *so* in agreement with you on this one... Sonnenfeld is a far better cinematographer than a director -- he has flashes of real inspiration, to be sure, and even had one exceptional film ("Get Shorty"), which, not coincidentally, was pretty minimalist in terms of flash and his directorial "style." Like Joel Shlockmaker, he's at his best when he's reined in, not given an unlimited budget and allowed to indulge his every dork-gasmic whim. "Spidey" doesn't need a Schumacher, a Sonnenfeld, a Tony Scott, a Michael Bay or even a Jim Cameron, although I think *he*'d make an actual *film*, and not cinematic Cheese Whiz. It needs an Andrew Niccol, a Michael Mann, maybe even a David Fincher. Someone who can indulge their own personal vision or style, without turning two hours of film stock into a "Well, if *I* had an unlimited budget..." wet dream. Someone who puts characters and story *first*, and uses fx and sets and stunts to *enhance* the story, not merely *JUSTIFY* it.
As for actors... I have to agree that Ed Norton would be ideal as Peter Parker. Hell, wait ten years and get Haley Joel Osment. The kid can *definitely* act, after all, and *I*'d be willing to wait another decade to see it done *right*. Doc Ock? Yeah, Hopkins would be terrific, but then so would Michael Douglas (staying with the "marquee star" theme here).
I just hope some studio exec, somewhere, with options on or ambitions to release a comic-themed film, reads this TalkBack and learns that the *only* way to make a decent film in this genre is to *TAKE THE MATERIAL SERIOUSLY*. Make a *movie*, not an "adaptation." Tell a *story*, give us *characters*, create a *plot*. Let someone else -- someone you have *no* contact with -- worry about the marketing tie-ins, the ancillary profits, the advertising campaign. Just put your head down and give us a great story, and let the box office fall where it may. Quit making movies for Burger King or rabid Toys 'R Us shoppers. Make a movie for MOVIEGOERS, for Christ's sake, or don't make movies at all. Make toy commercials instead. -
I sit here frozen in disgust and amazement. When you think Hollywood can't get any dumber...IT DOES.
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Listen,you Hollywood Execs!You can destroy the x-men,camp batman,and remove the soul of Superman(III&IV),but keep yer mitts of Spidey!!! I totally agree with Harry on this one!You money making jerks care only about the big grosses! Spider-Man is your every man kind of hero.He has problems with money,work,girls,and just the run of the mill stuff that we all go through on a daily basis. Chris O'Donnel??!! Nooo.He's a friggin' jock,for pete's sake!! Gawd!I would take that Dawson creek dude over him!
Just forget the entire concept of doing a movie about Spidey because it's gonna be CRAP!!!! -
The stupidity of Hollywood never ceases to amaze me, so in a way I'm not completely shocked about these developments. Anyone with common sense knows that Barry Sonnenfeld is the last director on the face of the planet who should helm Spidey. This man is going to make a mockery of the coolest comic book hero of all time. Wild Wild West is the worst movie I've seen this year, and Men In Black was hardly deserving of its phenomenal box office gross. If this virtual nightmare becomes a reality and Shitfeld is tossed the keys, I hope the movie bombs so bad that he has to go back to shooting porno movies to make a living. Didn't Sony learn anything when they gave Emmerich and Devlin complete creative control of Crapzilla? Do they want to be a Hollywood laughingstock yet again? Maybe all this rambling is a little premature, but the thought of Barry and O'Donnel making Spiderman has ruined my day. DAMN IT!!
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Dec 01, 1999 10:06:14 AM CST
My web-shooters jammed, my spidey-sense is going off, Aunt May's
by capt. fantastic
Come gather round children, it's high time you learned. That even a crappy actor, will soon get his turn.... Okay, get ready for a shocker. I have not give up hope on this movie. My reasons -- 1) Sonnenfled is not that bad. To be honest, I thought MIB was pretty good, and had the same mix of humor and action that would fit Spidey dead-on (you KNOW if Fincher got it, we'd have Spawn with web-shooters or something). 2) Chris O'Donnell. The kid can act. And slap him in a sweater vest, some glasses, and a red tie -- and he'll be Peter Parker. He's got a decent enough physique for me to believe he COULD be the guy in the suit (although Spidey will either be CGI or Ray Park). And he'll do just fine. 3) I'm an optimist. You're all a bunch of whining fan-boys pouting around saying "Fuck Sony. Fuck Sonnenfeld." all because the studio decided to open a movie with a profit formula instead of risking millions to make a geek fantasy (which, yeah, MIGHT have turned out great, but the risk factor is too high). Sure, I would have LIKED to have seen that Xander kid from Buffy play the web-slinger, but it ain't happening. (Of course, the studio could make it up to me by dying Sarah Michelle Gellar's hair white and having her play the Black Cat -- Rowr! But then, that's my own fan boy talking). Anyway, give the movie a chance. You know you're ALL going to pay your $7 to watch it and then bitch to high heaven in talk back. So maybe, MAYBE we can try to be optimistic here. I, for one, can't wait for Spidey to hit the big screen. Cap out...
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ARNIE AND O DONNELL SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED TO PLAY COMIC CHARACTERS EVER AGAIN AFTER BEING INVOLVED IN BATMAN AND ROBIN. THIS BEING THE WORST FILM EVER MADE. THE ONLY HALF DECENT FILM INVOLVING A COMIC CHARACTER WAS THE ORIGINAL BURTON BATMAN, IT HAS GONE DOWN HILL EVER SINCE AS WE ALL KNOW.
EITHER THIS FILM SHOULD BE MADE WELL OR NOT AT ALL. AND WITH THE TRACK RECORD FOR THESE COMIC FILMS I WOULD RATHER THEY LEFT IT ALONE. MAYBE THE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY MAKE COMICS SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS, DOES MARVEL HAVE NO CONTROL OVER HOW ITS CHARACTERS ARE USED?
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I can't believe this shit. Sonnenfeld & O'Donnell, the shitty duo. Sonnenfeld hasn't been good for YEARS. O'Donnell is a mannequin. Get somebody who can ACT (Ed Norton f
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I think the man that looks the most like Doc Ock is definitely Elton John. But I'm not sure that would be a good idea...
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I totally agree with Harry. This is just bad, bad news. Chris O'Donnell? Ah-nuld? This is awful. Spider-Man is the movie I've wanted to see my whole life and now it seems that it's gong to be the new Godzilla. A huge money making turd. Wild Wild West has indeed passed the $100 million mark, so with over-seas $ and video it will probably make $$$. That's what counts. A kick ass spidey trailer and a huge opening. My only other comment, even though it doesn't matter at this point, is that Peter Parker should be in HIGH SCHOOL. So I have to disagree with all the calls for Ed Norton (although he would kick ass). I'm sorry this is rambling but I'm bummed. This news is even worse than the clone-saga. Even worse than Byrnes "retelling" of the origin.
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fucked up here. Talk about your double whammies. I could really take or leave the Supermans because like Harry said, he's so invulnerable it's kinda hard to care. Batman at least had two good movies, as Superman did. Blade was a very nice surprise, IMHO. But Spiderman was the guy I could relate to. He had a life outside of his costume, which had more than its share of real complications. He took an butt-whippin' now and then (I don't think supes knew what that was until Doomsday.) Then there's the banter. This is the first superhero I knew who could venture into the art of trash-talking. If it sounds like I'm giving a eulogy (sic), I am. Who's the slapnuts who decided on Sonnenfeld (I don't care if I mispelled the putz's name!) and Chris O' Donnell? I have a bad feeling that my dream superhero movie is now in the crapper.
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You guys are really pissed, I am with you all on this one.
What has happened to filmmaking ?
Anyone forgotten how many Arnie toys they can shift ? MERCHANDISE!!!! That is what Sony like !!! -
Wow! This does sound like a "revenge against internet fan sites" deal. And i thought Burton knew how to fuck up a comic book(not to mention classic american lit).
Oh well.
On to other things..
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Fuck Sonnenfeld...just wanted to say that. They should've picked that kid, Tohper Grace, from that 70s show to be spidey, c'mon think about it, he'd be perfect...and use Red as uncle ben, they already have the working relationship going, so the chemistry between them would be just that much more perfect.
and one more time, fuck sonnenfeld -
I have to agree with Harry and the legion of talkbakers who feel the film will now blow chuncks, for it will. The kiss of death would be Arnold as Doc Ock. Isn't he simply a walking joke - can anyone take him seriously as an action star anymore. The real pity is that here they were working with first class material. A few years ago, on a car trip I passed the time by telling my kids the Spider-Man origin story. The whole puny Parker going to a science show while the popular kids did their own thing, bitten by spider, auditioning for TV, you catch the crook, I'm through being pushed around, death of Uncle Ben, with great power...
And they were spellbound. For the first time I realized what a powerful mythic tale Lee and Ditko had created. This story has a true resonance that speaks to people much more than the Superman or Batman origins. So of course, Hollywood has to fuck it up.
Sigh.
So, moving on, any news on the Fantastic Four movie? Maybe Arnold can be Reed Richards. -
i mean, Topher Grace, sorry about the spelling. And Bruce campbell should be thrown in there somewhere, i dunno, somewhere.
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Geezus, now I know the world is going to end, fuck Y2K! This is the worst possible casting in history! Chris "MADLOVE" O'donnell! SPIDERMAN? NOOOOO!! Please, Please let this be a nightmare!!! WHY would anyone in their right minds would think this would work? Gee someone out there in Hollywoodland sure has a crush on Blandboy and I don't care what some people will say, "yeah maybe this might work" GIve me a fucking break, I will not be seeing this movie! After Batman and Robin, Chris you need to retire honey! Make a movie with Jennifer Love Hewitt and call it "DULL LOVE"
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Think nobody's petty enough to devote a stress-filled year of their life to ruining a coveted fanboy franchise as revenge for their perceived role in the tanking of WILD WILD WEST? You've never met Barry Sonnenfeld. I've never seen someone so ill-equipped at handling failure. First, it was NRG's fault for telling the recruited audience they were going to see THE MATRIX. Then, it was Harry's fault for printing all of the negative reviews that just came pouring out of said screening (which, I believe, ended up being pretty much the only testing that was done for WWW.) Finally, after a huge promotional blitz on behalf of WB, and a hit single by the star that plays ad nauseam on MTV, the film opens well, but dies shortly thereafter once word gets out that it's a dud; however, an obviously smarting Sonnenfeld, perhaps fearing a return to helming stillborn Michael J. Fox vehicles like FOR LOVE OR MONEY (or FOR LOVE OF MONEY, or THE CONCIERGE, or BOX OFFICE POISON,) continues to blame everyone but himself for the project's failure. What does he do now? Well, after a thwarted attempt to re-team with Big Willie on an Ali biopic, he suddenly gets handed *the* fanboy franchise of the moment: Spiderman. What to do, what to do.....? Now, Sony's thinking on this is more than sound; Sonnenfeld minted money for you with MIB, also a comic book property. Logic dictates he should be able to work his magic again, right? Well, not when his mischievous sensibilities run somewhat contrary to the comic's more innocent tone. True, Spidey is prone to wisecracks, but they always seem to come from the giddy realization that, "hey, I'm a superhero!" The biggest stumbling block here, however, is that I don't think Sonnenfeld has any affection for the material. As with WWW, he's looking for a big payday, and if he can get it while exacting a little vengeance on those who were, to his mind, responsible for his prior debacle, that'd be a bonus. My plea to Sony..... keep Barry on a short leash. When principal photography finally starts, watch those dailies very carefully, and if/when the whole enterprise begins to look like WWW2, yank him and bring in a pro who's experienced at damage control. You've already lost GODZILLA, don't make the same mistake twice.
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First off, I think Terry Gilliam should direct everything (Harry Potter anyone?) He'd be right on here. Norton and Lee are perfect in temperment, but are a little too long in the tooth to take on what should be, really, a teenager. Wes Bently is not a bad suggestion. Chirs O'Donnel is a total stiff, just face it. And how can Harry recoil at the lack of "humanity" in Sonnenfeld's films and still be so chummy with uber-hack Michael Bay?
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..are they doing with this picture? Why are they sucking Sonnenfield's ass and putting the Wonder-Bread-commercial poster boy as the fucking star? There's room for both these bastards in the Holly-world, SOMebody has to take on drek like the Bachelor or Mil Mild West AKA Will Smith's Waterloo. I'm a cat who grew up a comic book, film geek thousands of miles away on a tropical island where, when the Ralph Bashki Spidey came on with "In Color", we only saw the "C,L,& R" on our B & W tv sets. To whom do I have to send some hookers to bone these guys into some common sense, hire someone with a sense or perspective, story, and special effects ( Joe Johnston, maybe? Stephen Norrigton, of Blade fame? Martim Cambell, of Mask of Zorro?) I'm assuming the true bad asses, Cameron, The Washarshki Bros. John Woo, are busy w/ other projects. Hell, find the hottest Hon Kong cat going, or give Ringo Lam a fucking budget and throw half a mill or so Wes Bently's way and, for once in Hollywood's pathetic existence MAKE THE MOVIE RIGHT! IT AIN'T COINCEDENCE THAT COMIC BOOK FANS ARE BITCHING ABOUT YOUR CHOICE. WE SUPPORT THE BOOKS, WE LIKE'EM JUST THE WAY THEY ARE! HAVE FAITH, WRITE THE STORY WELL, USE THE EFFECTS RESOURCES, STOP SUCKING DICK AND DO IT RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!
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Sorry guys, but you all know Hollywood doesn't give a damn about the quality of films, it's all about $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. The only time they don't care about $ is if it's about the Holocaust or a Civil Rights movie. Plain and simple.
I'm cringing like all of you and think this will be Batman with all the hype,toys,happy meals at McDonalds etc..except one difference. Batman (and Batman 2 2 which was better than the first) was a good movie, and you know Spidy is going to turn out like a cross between MIB and WWW. I STILL can't stand WWW. I mean the freaking orginal series was GREAT..and they turned it into a piece of $hit!
And don't even go into Godzilla. Even Godzilla's revenge is better than the Sony one. But I read an article Sony and Godzilla, and they still think it was a sucsess cause it made a few million. That's the bottom line guys, not your fantasy directors, or stars or anything. To quote puff daddy, "It's all about the Benjermans"
My only hope rests with Harry, that he can make some noise on this, and possibly Marvel..is Stan Lee still alive? Can't he or his company do anything? -
Do some of you really think that Sony cares when the fanboys whine that THEIR movie is being tampered with? What percentage of the movie-going population actually reads (or read) SpiderMan comics faithfully? One percent, maybe? Sure, everyone's heard of Spiderman, but not everyone is a hardcore fan. Sony (or any other studio) wants to fill their coffers, so they'll risk pissing off 1% of the movie goers if they can please the other 99 %. David Fincher is not making this movie. Edward Norton and Bruce Campbell are not starring in it. Deal with it. An internet campaign will not sink 'Spiderman.' And I find it funny: Sonnefeld was a geek god after 'MIB,' but now, after 'WWW,' he's the worst thing to hit Hollywood since Allan Smithee.
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Hey now, Allan Smithee has done some damn fine movies! Even if he can't decide how to spell his name. Didn't you ever see Hellraier IV? Or Dune(on TV)? :)
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Why don't they just write the Clone Saga for the big screen and have that wonderful sweatshirt costume. Oh yeah! And have John Byrne write the script, so that all the history that Sony does use can be re-written to involve more convoluted and boring background! And make Will Smith Spider-man - who says Peter Parker is white?? This sounds great!!!!
(In case you are thick as a brick, I'm being sarcastic!) -
Condemning a project before one word of the script has been typed. That's REALLY fair and reasonable.
Sonnenfeld is like the majority of directors- give him a good script and he'll make a good movie. Give him a bad script and he'll make a bad movie. ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES showcased its script's inventiveness very well and cast just the right actors in each part. Same deal with MEN IN BLACK. Get a talented scribe and we shouldn't have many problems, now, should we?
But no, it's much more fun to condemn every single human being associated with the project, isn't it? Chris O' Donnell doesn't strike me as a great actor, but then again I've only seen him in the Schumacher BATMAN films. I challenge any thespian to create a tour de force from that material. Personally I think Mitch Pileggi should be Dr. Octopus. Failing that, Kurtwood Smith.
Oh, and I liked GODZILLA. Feel free to flame me. -
Go to Universal Studios Theme Park in Florida. They have, hands down, the best ride EVER. It is a 3-D spiderman ride that takes you through a New York which has been overtaken by all of Spidey's enemies. It has more thrills and action in its ten minutes than Sony is going to be able to pack into what looks to be a terrible misfire of a film. Sonnenfeld, maybe, I did like MiB, Get Shorty, and both Addams Family films. Even For Love or Money wasn't too bad for what it was supposed to be, but Chris O'Donnel and Arnold? Bad, Sony. Bad, Bad, Sony!!! This is the same studio that allowed Keanu Reeves to be cast as an Englishman in Dracula, so we really shouldn't expect any better. Do yourself a favor-go ride the thing at Universal and don't worry about the movie. I think we all know how it's going to turn out.
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Barry Sonnenfield may or may not screw this up. But that wont really matter, cause O'Donnel and Arnold will take care of that for him. I haven't read Spidey in a long time (and when I did, it was just the Venom stories) but from what I recall from my huge collections of marvel trading cards, Doc Oc is what, 5'6"? 5'7"? Not fucking muscular 6'3" Arnold! Doc Oc is a geeky looking scientist, not a rough buff action star. Elton John does look the part, but can he act? Larry Drake is good, but he might need to lose a few pounds, did you see him in Bean? He's about twice as big as he was in Darkman. Enough about Doc Oc. Spiderman: I dont watch Buffy or Dawsons Creek or any of these other network teen dramas or whatever the hell they are called. Peter Parker should be geeky looking, and not to tall (only about 5'9" I think). The reason being is that will let the use of RAY PARK or JET LI to don the mask. But then again, I don't recall Spidey using martial arts. Nevermind. For Director: Sam Raimi would be great. Fincher wouldn't, spiderman is very comic-like, I just don't think its fincher's style. Incidently, I have nothing against Fincher and think he is very talented, but why is it that every talkback always contains "Fincher should direct" or "Norton should star", you all need to be more original. So I'll be original, I said it before, Antonia Bird. She directed Ravenous. I think she would do a good job, that film was amazing. True it was gory, but it was funny too. Anyway, I'm almost finished. Finally, Burton. I'm not ashamed to say he is my favorite director, I've loved each of his movies and I havent even seen his "best" Ed Wood. His Batman movies, whether they were true to the comic or not, were great movies. Beetlejuice was funny as hell. Mars Attacks! wasn't even that bad (although it was definately his worst). Now as for Sleepy Hollow, I loved it. When people say he butchered the story, they may be right, but thats a good thing. First of all, this is not Washington Irving's Sleepy Hollow, this is Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow. I read Washington Irving's and heres a summary "Ichabod is cowardy school teacher, has crush on one of his students he is tutoring, her boyfriend doesn't like him, a scary story is told at a party, on the way home through the woods Ichabod gets more and more frightened, chased by 'headless horesman', dissapears" The other 20 pages or so are merely description. Thats it. You can't make a movie out of that. If you want the story, watch the disney cartoon (which Burton adds a tribute to in the movie). But Sleepy Hollow the movie rules. There, I am done.
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Over at Ign, it's official, they are making a Matrix game with The Warchowski bro's. it will be for Playstation 2 and won't be released til 2002. CAN't wait, oh well just thought to give you guys some cool good news instead of the atrocity above!!!! Barry yer a fairy bitch!!!
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As a big fan of Spider-Man, this sort of thing makes me want the world to end in 2000 just to stop this movie from being made. It chills my soul to think that the people making these decisions also have the rights to Daredevil, Dr. Strange, and Iron Man. These are great characters that Sony seems to be taking a shit on. Well, fuck Sony. This is the Japanese revenge for WWII. If you can't beat them, buy them
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I think Harry's coming down a little hard on Sonnenfeld, although I would rather see someone else direct this movie. The reason his movies feel "soulless" is that he's never been able to satisfyingly end a film. I'm usually entertained for most of the film, but afterwards I'm left with an "Is that all there is?" feeling. He can supply a lot of whiz bang, but his stories never resound in the end with any thematic depth. And Spidey needs to be invested with a lot of thematic depth. That's what can make a great Superhero movie (like Superman) great. You can deal with huge themes in a powerful but entertaining way. So thumbs down on Sonnenfeld, although I don't think he's the worst director in the world. That's currently Peter Hyams (End of Days). Let's face it, anyone's a massive disappointed since James Cameron dropped out. And Chris O'Donnell is wrong. First of all, in the original Spider-man Peter Parker was like, sixteen, so even Chris would seem a little old to me. And, why hasn't anyone pointed out that Robert Blake (Beretta) is the spitting image of Doc Ock. He even sported the same goofy harido in Money Train and Lost Highway.
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Spiderman has many things going for it that no one seems to think about: 1. No Joel Schumacher 2. Chris O'Donnel, when not in Robin gear, is actually a good actor. 3. No Joel Schumacher 4. Disregarding the horrible casting decision in Batman and Robin, Schwarzenegger would fit in Doc Ock's tentacles. His European accent will fit well with Ock, which means Arnold could actually act and not just spout out one liners. 5. Barry Sonnenfeld is not stupid. He knows, at least I hope someone told him at least, that after Wild Wild West he needs a huge hit to keep working. MIB was good, and it was based on a comic, so he can do it right.
As long as they don't Fuck with the characters, major Costume changes, and something else stupid like having Uncle Ben end up pulling out of a coma at the end this movie will be good because Marvel knows it has to make $100 million plus. Marvel is in the best situation of their long history and they won't let their flagship character be ruined on the silver screen. -
This is probably a BAD dream, I'm having. A long time reader of Spidey comics ... just like Harry, that character defined my childhood. Now Hollywood intents to kick the crap out of it. I guess the project was doomed since the beginning. I got a chance to read Cameron's treatment and it was PURE SHIT! I had high hopes for a director who could go into human feelings and show them onscreen no matter what the context was...after all, that is Spidey's story. But his story was crap... like all post-Batman films, the heroe reveals identity, kills supervillans, bangs the romantic interest. WHERE ARE THE SPIDEY VALUES? OH! and another thing...there were noo web shooters, WHERE WAS PARKER'S INTELECT? The HUMAN inteligence behind Spidey.
Well, that all is lost now. Not only a major "action" director is up, but a WRONG cast is up for both Spidey and Doc Ock... that is IF Doc Ock is in, or the mad scientist (from...say, ATLANTIS?) that threatens to take over the world.
If there is anyone from the production reading this talkback or if there is anyway Harry can get a message to his "pals" there, let them know the following:
a) GET an UNKNOWN Actor (not stars but people who can play the part and resemble the comics) to play spidey. Like Lucas says: "don't hire stars, MAKE them!"
b) FOLLOW THE COMIC!!! The story is there, people know it, love it...just a few twists. You don't need A LOT of creativity to make this work, folks
c) MAKE A SUPERVILLAN: SUPER! The success of Batman was not actually Keaton (who was good), the visuals and directng (that were good also), or the story (that sucked), it was tehcharisma of the SUPER-Villan! Marvel films have always lacked this (Even the Red Skull form the Capitan AMerica film was only there for like 3 seconds)
d) RESPECT the costumes and the character. My guess is SONY will desing new visuals, like Spiderman unlimited to fully kill this crap. Yeah, have him dressed like Matrix dudes (the NEW X-men from the film) or plain black like that Punisher film (Jesus, the film would have been SO MUCH BETTER if only he had had his traademark, aka THE SKULL on his shirt) AND HAVE THIS GUY CREATE his F... webshooters... It's like having Batman fly not because of his gadgets, but because of superpowers.
I really don't know why I'm wasting my time here. I guess it's a form of paying back spidey for so many wonderful times, but I guess, like someone said up tehre, this is NOT going to be, your friendly neighborhood Spider-ma, but Hollywood's Money Making Franchise.
Make Mine Marvel, Don't MAKE MINE SONY!
I'm sorry Spidey, if I ever rejected the Clone Saga or so many recent BAD stores, I'm sorry I ever said "This can't get worse"... it just has.
Harry, if you need signed petitons or anything to stop this... let us know.
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I think that Jerry O'connell(sp), you know that dude from sliders and Stand By Me, would make a great Peter Parker, and Ray Park could be the man behind the mask and the man behind all of Spidey's action moves. Just my opinion. You may not like it, but it is a helluva better idea than Chris O'donnell any day!!
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Harry, you should produce. We're never going to be able to prevent the damage that the Sonnenfelds of the world will do to movies and film, regardless of how much we scream and rant here. But the damage can be minimized - ideally, more projects get done well when we have more people that truly love movies and storytelling in control of the process. You should capitalize on the power and notoriety that you presently possess (which is far greater than the rest of us will ever have) to maneuver yourself into a position where you can have a much more active voice and be sure that the movies that you want made get made the way you want them to. Stop squeaking on the sidelines; climb into the ring and throw your weight around. The next time someone says "Hey. let's have Barry do it," wouldn't it be really nice to say "NO" and have it make a real difference?
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Only seen his work in the Batman franchise? Well, then you missed him being woefully miscast as Ernest Hemingway in 1997's IN LOVE AND WAR. Probably one of the greatest bad performances of all time (right up there with Kevin Costner in ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES, or Pacino in HEAT.) Still, when playing within his range, he can be effective. I liked his work in MEN DON'T LEAVE, felt that he struggled admirably in THE CHAMBER, and thought he contributed nicely to the ensemble in COOKIE'S FORTUNE. It's just that he's too darned pretty to be Peter Parker. I suggest going with the unknown route. Spiderman will sell on familiarity alone. We don't need a guy who'll stoop so low as to plunder the works of the great Buster Keaton to create a vehicle for himself (THE BACHELOR, anyone?) BTW, I'm not judging the finished product, or saying that Sonnenfeld *can't* make a decent Spiderman movie (truth be told, I like most of his work.) I am, however, expressing my concern that his intentions are somewhat dubious. Of course, I could be wrong.....
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Man oh man....just when my faith was beginning to be restored in Hollywood...Fight Club, Being JM, American Beauty, 3 Kings...and the looks of some upcoming Dec films...Hollywood goes and screws it all up again - O'Donnell - Sonnenfeld - please. It looked like Hollywood was really growing a pair of brass ones for a while there - challenging the audience, taking chances. But I guess there will always be the studios who play it safe, no matter what. Here is a film that could've reached across the entire spectrum of movie goers, but now seems targeted for the teenage boys and under action figure set. Sigh.
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Dec 01, 1999 12:00:16 PM CST
I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THIS! CHRIS O'DONNELL AND BARRY SONNENFELD
by jake the snake
Face it people. This movie is going to be a hit and become a franchise regardless of whether or not its any good. The movie will be rated PG. Any event movie without an R is almost an automatic lock to be a 100 million dollar blockbuster. Wild Wild West got horrible reviews not only from this site but from every critic and their brother. Even if you didn't hear the reviews you could tell the movie was gonna be stupid from the ads and preview. All that said it could have still been a good campfest but here's where Barry fucked up. 666 couldn't get his actors to do anything amusing. The Fresh Prince and In and Out guy had no chemistry. Kenneth Branagh was the only guy amused by his performance. Just plain bad acting overall. 666 is just an FX and set design guy, he doesn't know how to get the best performances out of his actors. It's really a shame because this had the potential to be the best comic movie series to date.
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I hope:
-Sony reads Harry's comments and Talk Back pages and USES the constructive criticism here. These comments can be easily discarded if they are just filled with "the movie will SUCK!" comments.
-Actors are cast that fit the characters. Doc Ock did not body build. Peter Parker was called "puny Parker". There was a reason - the looks were not chosen arbitrarily in the comics.
-A teenager is cast for Spider-Man. When the movie's a success, he'll age into the sequels.
- The movie is less about the F/X, and more about the CHARACTERS. I was in grade school reading Spidey in the 70's and I didn't appreciate the simplified Electric Company Spidey more that Amazing Spider-Man comics I read post-Gwen's death. I grew up with a role model who was a nerdy, everyday kid - not a superstar, not a popular class-clown or quarterback hero - a kid who liked school and science and getting good grades. He had the worst luck - yet always kept rolling with the punches, never giving up. He was a kid who knew tragedy at an early age. The Peter Parker I knew heard the message from the outside world telling him he didn't have much going for him - "Hey Pete! You're an unpopular weak orphan with no friends!" Yet, he responded to the message recognizing that he DID have much going for him - intelligence, an inner-strength, and a family that raised him with values, responisibility, and love. This was a guy who, before super powers were an issue, believed in marching to the beat of a different drummer, taking the road less traveled, and doing the right thing. I wanted to be like Peter Parker.
Why should a glamourous Hollywood star get the part? Peter Parker's lack of "star-power" is SO important to understanding the character. Hey Sony! Did you know that artist John Romita Sr. had a hard time back in the 60's when he drew Peter Parker too handsome? Why was that?
Ever watch "Freaks and Geeks", Sony? Maybe there's a reason for it's popularity.
I admit I want a movie that will thrill me with some great battles and amaze me with current digital wizardry. But - I would 1000 times rather see a movie deeply examining the life of Peter Parker with no F/X than a poorly done 2-D flashy Spider-Man movie with no soul and a lot of bad puns.
'nuff said.
-Mike Fichera
Spider-Man Archiver: Raving Toy Maniac
The Unofficial Spider-Man Homepage
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"Face it people. This movie is going to be a hit and become a franchise regardless of whether or not its any good." That's what they said about GODZILLA, which is now all but officially dead and buried. A Spiderman movie would easily break $100 million, but, if it ain't any good, Sony will still end up in the red. Launching franchises is a tricky business, and relying too much on name recognition and merchandising is usually where they all go wrong.
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It seems there is a concensus...this movie will indeed suck nuts.
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Isn't there a studeo that just want's to make cool movies and doesn't give a shit about making there money back ten times over?...no I guess not.
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Dec 01, 1999 12:32:02 PM CST
Scent of a Woman - Remember the scene where Chris O'Don stops Al
by schmegma
to me that was some of the best acting in the movie. STOP your fucking whining. O'Don will be fine. Do you really think
ED NORTON will do a Spiderman movie. The Yale trained actor turned director is a "thespian." He doesn't want to be a comic hero.
TIM BURTON's BATMAN MOVIES SUCKED.
Talk about a comic fan's wet dream ruined...the saving grace of that summer was Lethal 2.
SUPERMAN 1 & 2 -
I would like to thank Sony for ruining the movie before it begins, rather than pulling a Batman, and giving us an o.k. movie, and screwing the rest of them up.
I've been a fan since I was 5, that has been 17 years, and Sony ruined it in a couple months...................
I'm going to become a Buddhist monk and go live in the mountains, far away from the smell of Sony BS.... -
As I was saying SUPES 1&2 are the best comicbook movies period. And what did Richard Donner do before that, ok the OMEN and a couple of episodes of "Get Smart," give Sonnenfeld a chance. If you're going to blame WWW on someone, blame it on Jon Peters the man who ruined the BATMAN franchise and who is in control of the SUPERMAN LIVES franchise.
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Now I am sure of it. THERE IS NO GOD!! However, Barry Sonnenfeld directing with Chris O'Donell as Spider-Man & Arnold Schwartzenegger as Doctor Octopus is definitive proof that THERE IS A SATAN!!
FUCK YOU SONY!! FUCK YOU HARD UP YOUR CORPORATE ASS! THIS IS JAPAN'S REVENGE FOR WWII!
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NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!
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I think I will wait till I actually see some footage before I pass judgement. As for Barry's comments that sites like this one are the reason his movies(like Wild Wild West, which sucked by the way)tanked. He is right in some ways how can anyone say it's crap before it's even made but he should take responsiblity when he puts out crap like Wild Wild West. I think Arnold would make a great Doc Ock isn't he supposed to have some sort of european accent?
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Chris "Potato Head" O'Donnell. That's all I wanted to say. Chris "Potato Head" O'Donnell. Thanks to Eeegah.
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Casper Van Dien is Spider-Man....Open your eyes Sony
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...and my lunch too. I hate this decision. I went to see End of Days the other and it was hilarious - funny in the wrong places.
Arnold hasn't able to land a decent role since his T2 days. Chris OD is a goddam joke. Batman & Robin was a mess. End of Days pathetic to the bone.
Friggin' Sony stinks. "Mad scientist angle" - God forbid. Sonnenfeld will fuck this up royally. He hasn't got the talent or vision. How about Tarantino?
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Dec 01, 1999 12:54:05 PM CST
OPEN YOUR EYES!!! THERE IS ONLY ONE MAN WHO CAN PLAY DOC OCK...
by bono
My dream casting would involve ROY ORBISON as Doc Ock!!! He's got the haircut!!!
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If Sonnenfelds is involved in this one, it will be a stinker! A Stinker I Tell You. P.U.! Enough Said!
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Son of a crack whore! Dammit dammit dammit! I am Jack's broken heart. If this is true the film has about a 10% chance of not being total blasphemy and sucking ass. FUCK! The Spider-Man film was supposed to be the greatest superhero film of all time, nothing short of epic, but now Sony is gonna FUCK IT UP! I said before that I thought Barry Sonnenfeld might be able to do it justice, just maybe, but not if this shit is true! Arnold as Doc Ock??? O'Donnell as Spidey?!?!? Did Sony even fucking see Batman and Robin? FUCK. I am so pissed off now I think I'll go see FIGHT CLUB. I'm having a bad enough day already and this is the last thing I wanted to fucking read! NOOOOOOOOO....
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I think Sonnefeld's style is pretty well suited towards the comic book world. So Wild, Wild West sucked (except for Salma Hayek and the FX. Go, Alx!), and Get Shorty wasn't exactly an Elmore Leonard novel...MiB was a great comic adaptation not only due to Sonnefeld's directorial style, but also due to Bo Welch's FANTASTIC production design. For those of you who don't know the name, Bo Welch worked on most of Tim Burton's older films like 'Batman', and 'Edward Scissorhands'. Let's try to take into account the whole picture here. If Sony employs some worthy talent to the project (God, let's hope they do), we'll come out with a worthy Spidey flick.
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I have been complaining about the sloppy storytelling and dreadful miscasting of Keaton for years. And cool Spiderman FX or not, I will do the same for Spiderman. Why can Superman get cast right three times in a row (George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, and Dean Cain), while no other superhero can get a single break? Sony, cast somone who can play Peter "Puny" Parker AND lithe, wiry Spiderman! NOT CHRIS O'DONNELL! He may think he's Spiderman, but he's no Peter Parker!
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And really, Harry...come on...Raul Julia was the best thing about the 'Addams Family' flicks, not Wednesday Addams...
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Did y'all know that Barry used to shoot porn? It's true.
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Ahhh...
Arnold whatever is not Doc Oc.
Not that he is the worst actor ever (not that he is the best), but he is not right.
Obviously. -
I'm a fan, a Spidey geek...look at my user name (even has the hyphen!). This is the worse possible news I have heard this millennium. I was willing to let Sonnefeld slide...even though he's WRONG WRONG WRONG. But O'Donnell and Schwarzennegar....I'm so depressed I could...slit O'Donnell's wrists. I take back everything I've said about Ed Norton or John Cusack being too old. Come to think of it, I may even reconsider Will Smith - er, maybe not. While I look forward to a movie of the greatest comic book hero of all time...I see myself standing in line that first weekend, waiting to be utterly disappointed. Arnold as Doc Ock?
No...wrong. Sony: It's not too late to make an offer to Ron Howard (he's shown interest, I'm sure Universal would like to co-finance and share the bounty)...Wes Bentley would make a great Peter Parker. It's never too late to repent! -
I would force all of them to read SpiderMike's message 1000 times and hire him to produce the film! You have it exactly right, the whole essence of Peter Parker. Why don't ANY of those Sony suits understand that? Why do they settle on making cheesy crappy films that make money solely on name recognization? How is it not better to actually make a GOOD film that is true to the comics and make even MORE money because A) You still get the gross for name recognization and B) The film actually pleases fans so fans will go back again and again adding another 100+ million to your profits. IF all Sony cares about is the gross the SAFEST thing to do is just make a film that is true to the character and comic! Wake up! Please! If this movie looks to be another Batman and Robin in the future I say we all organize a boycott or something against Sony! By Sonnenfeld's logic AICN fucked WWW, well guess what Barry if Spider-Man is a shitfest AICN is going to fuck it even worse than WWW and Batman and Robin. I just can't stand to see the greatness of Spider-Man be tarnished... where is the justice?
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I've been waiting 25 years for a Spider-Man movie and they offer this. There's no justice. I wish a lifetime of bowel problems upon the Sony execs responsible.
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Sonnenfeld can't direct actors? Funny, in ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES we had a great comic cast working at more or less top form. Aside from the Family itself (and the divine Joan Cusack), we had great turns from Peter McNicol, Christine Baranski, Nathan Lane and Tony Shalhoub. And the scene where Wednesday smiles (scaring several children) was extremely well-done.
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I will put da squeeze on you! Let me give you big hug! Are things too tight for you! Fresh squeezed spidah-man anyone? It like sueezing blood from a spidah! It's da big squeeze! What do you get when you cross octopus with spidah - a dead spidah! Here is eight reasons I kill you! Who you calling an Octopussy!? Things are goning to get inky! I'll be back!
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Did y'all hear that story a while back that Jon Peters pushes for the inclusion of a gigantic killer spider in EVERY movie in which he is involved? I heard that in Howard Stern's interview with Kevin Smith. Smith talked about how he became soured on the new Superman project because Jon Peters insisted that the script include Superman's battle with a humongous spider. Lo and behold, what turns up in Wild Wild West? A GIANT MECHANICAL SPIDER. Hey, I love The Two Towers as much as the next guy, but Shelob doesn't need to be in every single climax!
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I, too, am horrified by the prospect of Sonnenfeld, Arnie, and Chris O'Donnell savaging our collective (and often ongoing) childhood memories with a neon, explosion-filled, soundtrack-by-Jewel and the Backstreet boys, fake nipples on the Spidey suit, overblown, half-baked concoction of marketing ploys and audience demographics also incidentally involving a character we know as Peter Parker.
It's an easy reaction to have, and clearly a common one. What makes it so astonishing to us is that Hollywood either doesn't get it or (more disturbingly) blithely continues on their way in search of the almighty buck.
However, it is a mistake to blame Hollywood for this. This is what they do _when they have a free rein_. Given the opportunity, Hollywood by dint of its committee-thinking producers, always makes the safe choice. They'll pack any film with bland "stars", cliched plots and vapid one-liners, topped off with some explosions. It's how they've gotten rich, after all. Don't blame the machine.
Instead, I blame whoever let Spider-man be subjected to it. Think about it just this once. There is a several hundred page contract somewhere detailing in all its awesome hideousness the production and licensing agreements between the studio and Marvel Comics. Some idiot over at Marvel is either working hand-in-glove with the Hollywood producers and is _agreeing_ with their suggestions or, even more horrifically, has simply signed away the movie rights in their entirety. For all we know, Spider-man could suddenly have a sidekick named Jar Jar.
These people have failed to exercise creative control, either by omission or by active participation in whoring Spidey out. They are probably the same knuckle-draggers who got fired from D.C. comics after the same thing happened to the Batman franchise. They just don't care. The studios certainly don't think in terms of creating sequels; they take it one step at a time. If the previous film did well, they make another. Unfortunately, this same self-serving pattern is on display by those auctioning off the treasures of our old childhood comics. These are executives at D.C. and Marvel who weren't even around when the characters were created, and grew fat and rich off royalties for things their intellects, long suffocated by their egos, could never generate. Wave a $100 million budget contract in their face, and they cash in like hogs at the feed trough.
But what choice do we have, we moan. After all, we all want to see a Spider-man film, and to do it right probably means submitting to the massive resources of an established Hollywood studio. True. However, any company with any dignity or sense of investment in their product retains the artistic rights to the base character upon affiliation with a Hollywood studio, as well as some production control over the film itself. The only question here is which do you find more disturbing, the idea that Marvel threw Spidey to the wolves for money, or that they're also now helping them eat him.
I for one would rather never ever see a Spidey movie than see this one. Harry was right; Spidey is glorious because he's vaguely realistic. He's not some invincible juggernaut that is expected to impress us even though he's never really in danger. I can't begin to count how many times I read as a child Spidey climbing in through his skylight, bloodied and battered, yet worried that he might awake his Aunt. This is a man whose only real powers are the ability to sense when something is about to beat the living daylights out of him, coupled with his powerful intellect and empathy. Done properly, the film could have been a superior TB's 'Batman' with a heart, with a real _super_ hero at last. Now, it will fall onto the derided dustheap with Venom, Batman and Robin, Superman IV, The Punisher, Captain America, and every other half-assed direct-to-video piece of garbage that Hollywood turns out _when D.C. or Marvel let them_. -
... why not give the fans something to look at; how about starting a campaign for Jennifer Love Hewitt as Mary Jane Watson and Sarah Michelle Gellar as Gwen Stacy?. I mean, at least give us that.
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Dec 01, 1999 1:18:36 PM CST
HEY SONY, LOOKS LIKE EVERYONE LOVES WHERE THIS PROJECT IS GOING.
by moviet00l
I'm usually not one for cursing, but this one is un-fucking believable. Arnold as Doc Ock. Did they see Batman and Robin? If that movie made Sony believe that Arnold is right for ANY acting role, never mind the very intelligent, SUBTLE character of Dr. Octopus, then I can only assume the company is being run by monkeys throwing their own shit at each other all day. Whizzz! Look, there goes Godzilla! Whizz! Incoming! It's SpiderMan! Splat!
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Poop.
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...I see that the spider preference is probably a recent development. The way Smith told it, though, the spider obsession was comical. I wonder if Peters will try to get involved in this project.
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Mr Knowles...I'm asking you, nay, begging you to supply AICN readers with an e-mail address at Sony. We must protest...LOUDLY AND FAST. Before it's too late. We can save the Spider-man movie, but only if we act right away. In the Interim,
LET'S BOMBARD THE MARVEL COMICS SITE! (www.marvel.com) WE MUST ACT!!!!! -
I'm gonna get the ball rolling. Here's the e-mail address of the insider at marvel.com. He generally answers fanboy questions and comments. LET'S BOMBARD HIS ASS! FIGHT THE POWER! DON'T LET SONY WIN THIS BATTLE! I'M TAKING THIS TO THE STREETS! I'M NOT RESTING UNTIL THEY SHOOT THAT FIRST FRAME OF FILM! IT'S NEVER TO LAST TO RECONSIDER!....write now! yourman@marvel.com
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...I used to think that John Cusack would be perfect to play P.Parker, but he's maybe too old now...Anyway, they're gonna make a pile of shit from this project, so let's just forget about this, OK?
Let's just focus on the Hellboy and Madman projects instead, they will be cool! -
I hear that Stan Lee is ripping desks aoart and tearing out walls because he's heard Sonnenfuck is directing what was once his crown jewel. Stan Lee is a legend and shouldn't have to take this shit. Nor should his and Spider-man's fans. For once let's put the power in the hands of the geeks who'll shell out their cash to go see the fucking thing ten thousand goddamn times. Let's take control of this situation and remove Sonnenfuck and O'Dullnell from this picture. As for Uhnold, if he thinks he can pull off this role, then someone has shoved those tentacles so far up his ass that they're clouding his judgment. Come fellow geeks, we must revolt. Let's bombard Sony studios with mail, phone messages and emails. We can do this, we have to do this. We must now only hope that Ed Norton will save this picture wants Sony takes out the trash. Oh Christ, Stan just threw a truck into the top floor of a skyscraper- God have mercy...
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And to think how cool this movie could have been if Fincher or the Wachowskis got it. Instead it looks like this will be Sony's answer to B&R. Goddamnit Sonnifeld sucks, he is like the Backstreet Boys of directors, all flash and gimmick, no substance or originality. Oh yeah, and here's to the genius that wants to spend half the budget on Arnold he really rocked in B&R that's some great casting jackass.
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Wow, that's a ludicrous and paranoid notion that shows all of us spend way too much fucking time on the web. Does it really make sense for a director like Sonnenfeld (who is not on my appreciation list but bear with me here) to PURPOSEFULLY make a BAD movie with miscast stars just to ENRAGE an arguably small percentage of his film's potential audience (web-surfing comics nerds)? Just for revenge? No, it doesn't so get a grip, folks. To make a bad filkm on purpose would only hurt HIM and his career (look at WWW for proof). No, Sonnenfeld would do this film under the misguided notion that it was a CAREER-SAVER; it's a franchise, big opening weekend, it could absolve him for the turkey that was WWW if it hits big. I believe the casting rumors, though. Actually, Arnold was rumored for Ock years ago, too, when Cameron was onboard so that wasn't news to me. It was in Comics Scene magazine (remember that one?) ages ago. Ancient rumors also had mentioned Bob Hoskins as Ock. Better choice but Doc Ock sucks no matter what so I say use a better villain. Didn't Sonnenfeld get enough of that mad scientist schtick w/WWW and Branagh? Come to think of it, maybe Kline or Branagh will end up playing Ock instead? ...
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The most important aspect of Spiderman's personality is his hard-core NY attitude. He throws as many jibes as jabs in any given fight. He's constantly insulting, belittleing, and making jokes at the expense of even the biggest villains. If that's not in the movie, why bother?
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I'm sorry, but I can't believe anyone would seriously consider Arnold for Doc Oc. Me thinks someone be pulling Harry's chain here. I don't see anyone putting Chris and Arnold back into a superhero movie. Repeat a formula for disaster? I don't think so.
I suppose we shouldn't underrate stupidity, but this can't be anymore than a bad rumor.
Tommy lee Jones would be a better Doc Oc. We need someone short and stocky able to be middle-aged.
I'd much rather see Mike Meyers be Doc Oc. I can see a stupid bowl haircut on him. -
Well, I am not as up in arms about recent rumored developments regarding the Spidey movie as Harry is. I can live with Barry Sonnenfeld directing, because I liked Men In Black, which was also set primarily in Manhattan.
Chris O'Donnell is not my first choice for Peter Parker and his amazing alter ego, but he could do it, especially if Spidey is portrayed as post-college, photojournalist, married Peter Parker.
Harry apparently hasn't read any Spider-Man comics in the last ten years or so. Peter is grown-up now, Harry, and is a married man. He is mature and subdued now, and still shines wittily but remains tormented as Spidey.
This is how Spidey has been for some time now, and although we all remember the wonderful days of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, it's time to move on. Perhaps, this is how Sony feels regarding the Spider-Man film. If they wish to harken back to Spidey's early days, then now, O'Donnell isn't appropriate, but I am not going to jump to any conclusions like you have.
As for Schwarzenegger, he'd be great as any villain. His Mister Freeze was a little lacking, thanks to a horrendous script, but Freeze really never had any personality until Paul Dini & Co. brought him to life in the animated series. Arnold can pull Doc Ock, or Venom or even Kraven the Hunter, off if given half the chance. -
Alright folks, I can agree with most of you that Sony didn't make the right choice concerning the cast and director for this film but I can also remember a summer many years ago when I was doubting Warner Bros. casting and choice of directors for a certain film about a guy dressed as a giant bat. We all know how that film ended up right? The point that I am trying to make is that we have no idea how good or bad this film will be until we see it. I don't care how much some of us claim to know about film, the fact remains that a true judgement cannot be made until the final product is witnessed. One thing that I find particularly troubling is you guys propensity for negativity toward directors because of their prior works. I thought Kubrick's 2001 A SPACE ODDESSEY was a work of genius whereas his A CLOCKWORK ORANGE seemed to be a drug-induced piece of crap! I think that Scorsce's RAGING BULL was incredible while A BRONX TALE was cliche and trite. All that I am trying to say is that saying a director isn't capable of making a competant film due to the inadequacies (or should I say PERCEIVED inadequacies)of prior works is not only myopic, but in the case of the author of this site, irresponsible journalism.
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No way! So that's why he has this scene in ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES with all the champagne corks shooting off and spewing white liquid into the air. Huh. Never made that connection. Oh, and Mrbeaks, brilliant posts, man. Totally agree with you. The prospect of a shitty Spider-Man movie made by that notoriously compulsive and selfish little man with Mr. Milquetoast himself O'Donnell... well, frankly I'd rather bathe in Pisso's golden shower. Sorry to be so vulgar, guys. :-(
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I do not like Chris O'Donnell. I never have. Besides the fact that I have things growing in the corner of my freezer that can exibit more chemistry, there is the truth of how he really is. I grew up in the Boston area, and know people who attended B.C. while O'Donnell was bouncing back and forth between Mass. and Hollywood. From what I understand, Harry's estimation was right. The little punk was very much in line with the Flash Thompson crowd. An ARROGANT frat party scavenging horndog who didn't exibit much of the charm and "Boy any mother would like her daughter to bring home" mannerisims that his agent seems to have impressed upon his image. The guy is a complete and utter phoney, and I know that it shouldn't matter. Actors act, and do so to become a character. What they are really like is unimportant. But I feel like it does matter. Spider-Man is important to me on a personal level, as it is to so many of you. I dealt with difficulties through my own childhood by looking to Peter and seeing something kindred in his lonliness. Sounds stupid, but as a child, that character was a spokesperson for all of us who felt on the outside, and I want Sony to show him some God damned respect! Stan Lee has often said that Spider-Man touched upon the real more than the unreal. I never understood that until now. The book is about Peter, and how he deals with a painful life, and is able to come through it because his is a good heart, he just happens to be a super hero. O'Donnell should not be allowed anywhere near this movie. Let him go mull over the last comic charicter that he wrecked, a character very much like this one.
Also, to SDG, I'm with you. Hammond was the romita era Peter. -
Arny aint exactly " an evil twin of Roy Orbison" from Spidey himself describes Doc Ock..
Is it me or these geniuses who churn out all these crap Marvel type gag flicks proly hasn't picked up a comic at all and just went for consensus rather than having big named actors would bring the biggest turnout? -
Look, comicbook movies almost ALWAYS fail, why? CAUSE THEY DON"T READ THE GODDAMN COMIC. Screw these two from even touching this holy grail of films. Might as well make it an animated movie, would be far better than seeing O'Donnels crappy acting drive a steak though the heart of spider-man.
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Wow. For the most part, it seems pretty unanimous that we're not happy about this one. I 've been reading AICN for a while, and I haven't seen this much agreement in a site for a while. So the question is...WHO'S ASS IN SONY IS IN NEED OF KICKING? Seriously, who do talk to about this thing? Harry, is there something we can do to save this thing from the crapstorm its headed into? Jeez, this is frickin' depressing. BTW, thanks, bswise, the post got a couple of chuckles out of me. A guy needs it after hearing this shite!
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First, I have to agree that these casting and directorial choices seem to be lacking good judgement. I'll let everyone else trash O'Donnel & Sonnenfeld, but I felt Arnold was a caricature of himself as Dr. Freeze in batman - he's better off defining new characters rather than imposing his style on characters we already think we know.
Second - how can Stan Lee and Avi Arad and others at Marvel let this kind of shit happen? Why don't they retain some control? This character was central to Lee's whole re-working of the superhero, and you'd think he'd like to see it reach the screen intact.
Just how much of a sell-out can anyone be?
ARRRRGHHHH!!!!! -
the fact that ABKing is saying no to this movie WITH SCHWARZENEGGER IT IT should be an indication that they should keep Sonnefeld away from this...in fact, they should get a restraining order so Barry can't even be in the same city that they're filming in. And if Will Smith winds up in Jameson, there will be blood...I shit you not. -Loki
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If there was ever a time to simply stop the production of a film -- this is it.
Film is becoming history, lore, if you will, and once a story is put on celloid - it becomes gospel, it becomes the important version...
Of late, too many stories (Sleepy Hollow) have been abadoned for what studio executives think will sell. But we can stop these soulless fucks like SONY and Sonnenfart. Spidey can not immortalize and ruined by these morons...take back the media that is ours...If it means we storm the studio -- I'm in...
And you know what, I only like Spidey, but I'll be damned if they ruin the best thing Marvel's ever produced and the only other super hero with a story as rich and complex as Batman.
This is just like that Daily Show commercial wher Jon Stewart gives Spidey advice -- it's coming true.
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I'm sorry, but I've yet to see a good film based on a comic book. I think its time we'll all stop buying tickets for these remakes so Arnold wouldn't be so tempted to make a fool of himself. Its too late for O'Donnell.
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I read AICN back when they had the ID4 background and had just gotten the first images of Episode I up. I've watched it grow into basically the true film fans community on the internet. Harry speaks for all of us. And Harry has become a celebrity now and AICN is respected and does have some power in the industry now.
I think this is the chance for AICN to make history again.
Our most beloved superhero, Spider-Man, is now at the mercy of Sony, who apparently does not understand the character and the heart of the story. If done properly Spider-Man could be one of the greatest films of all time, even a candidate for Best Picture. If the comics were simply done justice and adhered to Spider-Man would at least be the best superhero movie of all time and would break records at the box office.
I say we, the fans, use AICN to do whatever we can to save Spider-Man. AICN was part of the reason The Blair Witch Project was so popular. If any site has the power to save Spider-Man, it's this one. Fans unite. Now, I await your response Harry... -
I'm not even going to form an opinion on the film until I can read the script, but one thing that *does* concern me, as it does all of you, is Chris O'Donnel. More so, his age. Isn't he 30? Spidey is under 25, and O'Donnel is over 25 - What's wrong with that equation Sony? And Arnold, well, he's already been blacklisted by me, as was everyone involved with Schumachers wet dreams. But, I'm willing to set the list aside to go see this because I've waited a long time for it.
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Dec 01, 1999 2:38:46 PM CST
im late today, so ill just say that Sony, Sonnenfeld, and O'Donn
by l'auteur
Get Fincher and Depp and I might consider seeing it. With these two schucks, though, AICN will be engaged in a constant smear campaign against it until opening day. Good luck, Sony (you fucking pricks)
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If you've ever read any interviews with the guy, you know what I'm talking about. He's a bitter, whiney Mama's boy who often makes it sound like he'd be content to never direct another film, Hollywood or otherwise, again. Of course, it doesn't make sense for him to spend a year devoting his talents to making a $100 million-plus "fuck you," but it doesn't exactly make sense to blame everyone but yourself for your failures, or bad mouth the guys who practically made your career (rare is the interview when he doesn't fire a few subtle shots at the Coens,) either. BTW, one more large-scale failure wouldn't necessarily end his career, if he still even cares about having one. Christ, Michael Cimino still managed to make a few flicks within the studio system after HEAVEN'S GATE.
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Dec 01, 1999 2:39:57 PM CST
L'Autuer here to say that What can we expect from the people who
by l'auteur
nuff said--this movie will suck HUGE goat balls
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Peter Parker's transformation into Spiderman should be the subject of the first 1/2 to 3/4 of the film. Sure, I loved Spidey getting into the fights and figuring out what was going on, but all storylines always came back to Peter Parker and how he tried to live his life with integrity and deal with super powers at the same time. This is completely against what a big-time flick would deal with. Hopefully, I'll be able to see this project done by someone trying to make that kind of film. The emotion of an orphan boy living with elderly guardians, one of whom is killed due to Peter's ego when he acquires his new powers is a great story. With any luck, Sony could make tons of money by having the fair sex involved with the emotional story as much as the guys reliving their comic book past and enjoying action scenes. The casting of Peter Parker is extremely important. That's why I've never seen Wild, Wild West. I love Will Smith's acting, but he was wrong for the part and after hearing the reviews I knew that there was no reason for me to see that movie. I can't imagine Chris O'Donnell being able to pull of the nerdy, unpopular science whiz that is Peter Parker EVERY TIME THE SPIDER SUIT COMES OFF. I saw him do horror and anger when a family member dies in Batman Forever. I don't think he does it well enough to do a different angle in the Spiderman story. I'll reserve final judgement until I see the trailer or get a more in-depth idea of the storyline, but I'm 99% sure that I won't see this film based on the casting of Peter Parker. BTW: I loved MIB. I own it and watch it every couple of months or so. If Sonnefeld can't make the story have the spirit of the original comic then he's the wrong man for the job. When somebody craps on your hope of a big-screen adaptation of your comic book memories you just ignore it and move on. Spiderman and Captain America are my favorite comic heroes. As far as I am concerned, no one has made a film of either one yet (no, I haven't seen the Cap flick that is obviously poor). I ramble, but basically I believe in the money machines making what they want to make more money. That doesn't mean I have to see it, or even acknowledge it, though. So, I'll wait until the flix I want finally get made before I sit in the theater.
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Jim Caviezel (The Thin Red Line) would be the perfect spiderman. Talent, looks, sensivity and physical presence. O'Donnell is BORING.
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Sorry for more ranting, but I'm just so disappointed by this news. I used to bicycle past the Marvel Comics building here in the San Fernando Valley before they ditched it and it was bought by a real-estate company. It still has the cool red and blue tile exterior that was an obvious homage to Spiderman. The Marvel marquee that graced the circular sign at the top of the building with the big M and Spiderman crawling atop was just so cool. Spiderman IS Marvel Comics. If there was ever a film for them to fight for, this is it. I want Stan Lee to meet with Sony and get them to agree to do the spirit of the Spiderman story. Then, I want him standing next to each major player in the film as they are announced as part of it. If Stan stood next to Sonnefeld then I would believe that he had talked to the director and was reasonably certain that the story would be told correctly. If he stood next to O'Donnell, ack I'd have a real hard time, but I'd still believe that HE believed that Chris could pull it off (even if Peter Parker is supposed to be in high school when he is bitten and 95% of all the casting suggestions I've heard here reflect fellows who are wayyy too old). Stan let them take away my Marvel offices and now he's letting them take away my movie. Sigh.
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I have always had a feeling about Spiderman and who I thought would make the perfect Spiderman. Jerry O'Connell. He is perfect in everyway. He can play the geek, i.e. SLIDERS, without any troubles. Forget Joe's Apartment. This guy can act. Watch Jerry Maguire and even Scream 2. He would make a great Peter Parker. And like everyone says, who cares who is in the costume. Doc Oc can not be Arnold. He is all wrong for the part. His Mr. Freeze was so far removed from the comic book, I am scared to see what he would do with this role. I like Gary Oldman or Ray Fiennes personally. Gary was to die for in the Fifth Element. SONY--please go for acting skills, not just money making big names.
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And anyone else comes second! O'Donnell a dull and distant 132nd. And Mike Myers IS Doc Ock. OK, so that may be a bit out there... Either way, Sonnenfeld is not the man to make this material work. I don't want to see a big mechanical octopus carrying Ock around, for chrissakes.
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Chris o'donnell? fuck that, johnny depp would rule in this role, doc ock, i dont think so. GREEN GOBLIN 4-LIFE.
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Spider-man, both the comic book and the terribly wrong movie, has gotten away from what made it great. Harry touched on the problem, but didn
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Let me start by sating that I do not object to Chris O'Donnel in this role. It in fact disturbs me to see how many talkbackers are so insistant on typecasting. What I don't get is Hollywood's insistance on casting name actors for the sake of marquee value when said actors have very little if any marquee value ! Think about it. How many film stars today REALLY have marquee value. Did Disney really think they were increasing their boxoffice for their awful THREE MUSKETEERS by casting Charlie Sheen and Kiefer Sutherland ? Not to knock those actors but I don't know of anyone who rushes out to see a movie because Charlie Sheen and Kiefer Sutherland are in it. I don't know anyone who goes to see a movie just because Chris O'Donnel is in it. Arnold ? Yes. Jim Carrey ? Yes. Adam Sandler ? Yes. Regardless of how you feel about these actors they guarantee big openings. VERY , VERY , VERY few modern stars have that power. And yet Hollywood continues to blindly insist that we have to have these Demi-Stars in order to make a movie ! Why ??? The public doesn't care !!! BTW, it was another talkbacker who coined the term Demi-Star and I've been taking the liberty of using this damn fine observation. Never heard it put so well. I don't think Hollywood can ever be convinced that Demi-Stars don't help a film to make money. The lack of box office generated by these so called stars certainly hasn't.
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Sorry for the soap box stance earlier, but it does bring a tear to the eye of ol' Alex rain when I think about what these bastards are going to do with Spider-Man. that being said, I love all the casting mentioned (hell, get Mr. Hankey over O'Donnell) especially Depp. Also, look at Eric Close, the star of CBS' Now And Again, a really kick ass show that anyone who really understands Spider-Man would enjoy.
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Dec 01, 1999 3:18:15 PM CST
THE POPE'S TOMCAT COULD PLAY SPIDERMAN BETTER THAN CHRIS O'DONNE
by uncapie
Nepotistic sons-of-bitches! God damn them all to hell! It should have been ED NORTON! HE CAN ACT! I will not see this movie!
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This is a nightmare. First, we have the increasingly depressing news out of the X-MEN camp; now this. I thought the days of a rubber-eared Captain America were bad... A Sonnenfeld-directed SPIDER-MAN will be a disaster. period. And it will feed the clueless critics who think comic book movies can't be anything more than mindless and badly-done. Didn't anyone learn anything from BATMAN AND ROBIN? If Stan Lee were dead, he'd be turning over in his grave. Since he's not, he'll probably put the same spin on this as he did for CAPTAIN AMERICA and THE FANTASTIC FOUR. This is a nightmare.
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The guy from First Edition. I don't know how good of an actor he is but he really looks like Peter, but he's too old
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This is infuriating. The characters and settings of Marvel Comics have the potential to translate into some of the GREATEST ACTION-ADVENTURE films EVER. A Captain America film set during WWII and done RIGHT could and WOULD rival RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. A properly-done SPIDER-MAN franchise (done as an ongoing story; NOT as a series of unrelated, self-contained sequels) could be magical. A fully-realized SILVER SURFER film could rival STAR WARS in the SF/Fantasy category. A HULK film that actually explores the psychological aspects of the character as well as the "Hulk Smash" angle would be amazing. And it's endless. The Marvel Universe is an untapped mine of potential cinematic greatness. The tragedy is that two of it's greatest resources (X-MEN and SPIDER-MAN) are more than likely in the process of being raped. Ugh. This is infuriating.
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Oh, Harry...say it ain't so...! I am a 28 yr old mother of a three and a half year old. I have been been a fan of Spiderman for as long as I can recall. My son and I enjoy watching the cartoons on TV, we read the comics together, you name it. You cannot imagine the feeling of despair I felt when I heard that the MIB director was doing the Spidey movie. Or when I read that Chris O'Donnell was cast as Peter (although I loved him in Scent of a woman). Why!!?? I really can't say who should be cast as Parker but I can certainly say whom I don't want to see. In a perfect world, Tim burton would do this movie. You were 100% correct on your column. You summed up all my thoughts. I am broken up. I feel like crying. I have been expecting to see this movie for a long time, and now I have lost all hope. Don't get me wrong, chances are I'll still see it. I am just disillusioned. I wanted to see Spiderman as the complex character that he is, not as another piece of crap out there. What a disaster!!!
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what a blowjob. We've gone from Cameron th THIS. I want my money back already.
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"Demistars" definitely don't sell me on seeing a movie. However, I would say that I (and the bulk of the AICN readership) do not represent the typical audience member. While name/face recognition of these demistars does not guarantee an audience, I believe that a total lack of recognition does keep some people away. "Who's in it?" is by far the question that I hear most often from the average viewer when presented with the option of seeing a given movie. They very rarely ask about the other members of the crew. A response of "uh..." is not going to convince the prospective viewer that he/she should see the movie. However, if the viewer has at least some familiarity with the players, he/she is more likely to make the choice to see a given movie on a Saturday night. A reply of "that guy from Scent of a Woman and Batman and Robin" might not be particularly enticing to you or me, but it's sure more likely to get the average viewer in the theater than "nobody you've heard of." I can understand the mentality that keeps demistars around. As so many people above have mentioned: it's all about the money. That said, I think the name Spiderman alone -- along with the appearance of its being a blockbuster -- could easily sell this film -- with or without Chris O'Donnell.
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What about Ben Stiller? Think about it. Parker is witty and wisecracking. Stiller could easily pass for a University Student. Better than O'Donnel,Norton,and the rest suggested.
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I've always just enjoyed reading these, but this catastrophic error about to be made has forced me to use my pen (err.. keyboard). O'Donnell is no Peter Parker, certainly no Spider Man. He's not even a good Robin - keep him in stupid chick films like "The Bachelor". I'd rather see anyone else in the role, perhaps Nicholas Brenden of Buffy? And Arnold as ANY villian? Please. His time has passed. He was horrible as Freeze. Hopefully Sony keeps an eye on this site as all movie-types should. I've never seen such negative criticism, but in this case, it is warranted. If this is their idea for the movie, I'd rather see it not get made at all.
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Don't get me wrong, he is an outstanding villain, but he is more of the evil genius variety, not a buffed-up Adonis. How would he get buffed up anyway? The tentacles do all the heavy lifting. Ah-nold is all wrong. And Sonnenfeld ... where's the Punisher when you need him?
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You know, in response to no one in particular, I really liked Barry Sonnenfeld much better as a cinematographer... I mean his work with the Coen brothers was great, and he pretty much ruled "Three O'Clock High" (sorry Phil Joanou). But Barry The Director? I mean, camera trickery is one thing... And yes, he made "Get Shorty", trying to stretch beyond the genre a little. I just wish he'd get back to his art and real contribution to film... he is attached to some pretty fine films-they're all at the bottom of his resume, from long ago, but they are there. But it's all a power game, and title is everything--so just keep directing mediocre movies. And can you blame him? Hollywood seems to keep handing projects over to him, Devlin and Emmerich, and so on.
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...I really liked the suggestions made earlier by TalkBackers, of Jim Caviezel (Thin Red Line) and Tobey Maguire (Pleasantville) for the Peter Parker role. I think there are any number of fine younger actors who would do justice to the role: Wes Bentley (American Beauty) and Jake Gyllenhaal (October Sky) spring to mind as well. But personally, here's a cast *I*'d go for: ETHAN HAWKE (Gattaca) -- Peter Parker; GRETCHEN MOL (Rounders) -- Mary Jane; JAMES WHITMORE (Shawshank Redemption) -- Uncle Ben; GLORIA STUART (Titanic) -- Aunt May; and either BRUCE WILLIS or JOHN MALKOVICH as Doc Ock. Yeah, some fanboy wet dreamin' here, but, hey, I *AM* a fanboy, and I *DO* have... nevermind. #:D Enjoying the discussion, anyway, keep it up everyone!!
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No matter how much people bitch and moan, no matter who is in it, or who is making it, this movie will still bring in the most important thing, $$. The studios don't give a fuck about what all you bitches are crying about. If it can pack in the kiddies, who will also fork over the cash for merchandise, who gives a shit what people think. I know I'll still see. Wild Wild West wasn't that bad, and Sonnenfeld is great for this kind of material. Those who say they'll stay away from this movie are the same shits who will be there the first day it hit theaters.
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After I read the feedback from the Spidey controversy, I went out and looked for actors who may play a better Parker...(there were so many) but only one of the ones you guys suggested rang true: Wes Bentley! Take a look at this guy people. One can only dream...
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Sonnenfeld is souless...
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Pray tell, what was good about it? Aside from decent f/x work, above par set design (far from Welch's best, however) and..... well, that's all it had going for it. I don't mind that the story was nonsensical (usually I love that kind of stuff,) but it was the low level of invention that really astounded me.
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You bastards!!
O Donnel and Sonnenfeld are a cople of fags and I hope this ridicoulus, fucked up pathetic loser project of theirs will blow up in their faces and destroy their careers.
Batman was a bunch of bullshit from beginning to end and this is gonna be even worse!!
Fuck Hollywood!!
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...Okay, I've chilled, gone to lunch come back, changed my name....and this still sucks the sweat off a dead man's nuts. Harry, fuck ANYone out there with Email, snail mail, any means what-so-fucking ever to contact Sony, Barry, O'dullass, and beg, cajole, curse, WHAtever WE CAN TO STOP THIS SHIT FROM GOING DOWN!!! Okay, I can admit that the opening chase in MIB (Will Vs. the Blinking Werirdo) made me think "..hmmm, Spidey FX) when the alien on the run scampered up the wall...AND, if you can rein Sam Raimi in ( A Simple Plan, For Love Of Kev...uhhh, The Game) then anyfuckinthing is possible....but, good God, man...HAVE RESPECT FOR THE ORIGINAL!!!! Superman I & II made it happen!!! Blade made it happen!! Batman was on its way ( fuck y'all, I thought returns took every incarnation of Batman to [that] date mixed it up, and rocked it, nipples be damned!!) till"...and Robin" turned it into a bad Ex night on South Beach. At the very least, drop O'Donnell. Wes Bently. HE can act. He doesn't need to do his stunts..there are ample stunt cats out there who just need to put on the friggin' mask and go to work. Take the time to develop the characters, and then wow 'em ala Matrix. But if money is truly your motivation, Sony execs., then pay attention to the folks on this site, among others. Don't let it be about the $80 mill opening followed by the 50% bad word of mouth nosedive next week. Think five or six solid $20 mill+ weekends, plus the inevitability of a sequel(s) that could blow Lucasland into the next several parallell dimensions. Think of a James Bond type longevity. PLEASE. Because bottom line, the moviegoing public will support your films, budgets be damned, if the movies have magic. Magic that comes from passion being poured into the production by people who love the project itself. Please do not sap the soul of a hero who is closer to us that we think, or would like to admit.
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OK, let's get practical. directors: you're not gonna get fincher, spike jonze, the wachowskis or anyone ubercool beind the camera. it's either A-list studio favourites like sonnenfeld (who's not THAT bad, for chrissake) or columbus (who is), or solid second-stringers like martin campbell or michael caton-jones. personally, i want either tsui hark or ringo lam to do it. casting: chris o'donnell needs a coupla hits after that 'bachelor' cluster fuck of his, and he'll probably be hot coming off 'vertical limit', that mountain-climbing film he's making in new zealand. (which he's making for sony, which explains why they've hooked up.) still, are we all in agreement that he's [a] too old to play high-school peter parker, and [b] more the flash thompson type? right. for spidey, may i suggest the following
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Well, well, well, perhaps we are being a bit harsh.....NOBODY goes out to make a bad movie.....no studio would let a director take revenge on the public especially if would cost them $100mill+
I as much as anyone don't want to see a spiderman film screwed up, there is a long way to go and the chemistry may all surprise us...I sure pray it does.
Yeah I can think of preferred directors and preferred casting but how many of us have got our dream and the end product turned out to be a steaming pile of pants. So at this stage, lets have our say but not condem the end product before even a frame is shot.
....am I too much of an optimist??? -
Dec 01, 1999 4:58:45 PM CST
HEY EVERYONE, ITS CLEAR THAT 99% OF US DON'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN
by lee_norman77
LETS KEEP GREAT TALK BACING GOING AND GOING!!!! AFTER ALL WE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT PAY HOLLYWOOD'S WAY, WEEK IN WEEK OUT WE VISIT OUR LOCAL MULTIPLEX AND PAY GOD KNOWS HOW MUCH EVERY YEAR INTO THE POCKET OF THE STUDIO EXC'S. WE ALL KNOW THAT SOME OF THEM READ AICN AND WE KNOW SOME OF THEM AT LEAST MUST THANKS TO THIS TALK BACK BE WONDERING IF CHRIS AND BARRY ARE THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR THIS PROJECT, LETS KEEP THIS GREAT TALK-BACK GOING UNTIL WE STOP SONY FROM GREENLIGHTING SPIDERMAN UNTIL THEY GET THE DIRECTOR AND CAST RIGHT!
I KNOW ITS A LONG SHOT, BUT ALL THIS GREAT TALK-BACK OPINION MIGHT STOPPING SPIDERMAN FROM BECOMING ANOTHER BATMAN AND ROBIN, WE MADE SPIDERMAN THE ICON HE IS.
DO IT FOR STAN MAN!!!!! :) -
It's amazing, though, the amount of blind faith some people have in Sonnenfeld. And Sony, of all studios, should know better. They basically let Devlin and Emmerich have their way on GODZILLA until it was far too late. I'm telling you, they're going to do it again, and whether or not Barry intends to make a terrible movie, I fear he's going to do it anyway. He's the kind of guy who would accept a project just to piss people off.
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I have to agree with whoever suggested Edward Furlong as an ideal Spidey/Peter Parker.
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The reason bad films get made is that you, the average youngish moviegoers are perfectly willing to sit through 50-60 mediocre or worse movies a year to see the 5-10 good ones that make it through the international Hollywood-monopolized pipeline.
No matter how many times you are disapointed you are always ready to line up for the next overhyped, star-studded, effect-laden, budget-busting, mega-event movie.
Try using your imagination when looking for entertainment. There are so many things available if you are willing to spent some time and energy looking for them, and not just wolf down anything within easy reach.
And how much fiction and entertainment do you need anyway?
Try to be part of the solution, not the problem. That's what I'm trying.
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Dec 01, 1999 5:12:38 PM CST
THE ADDRESS OF THE PAGE THAT HAS THE TREATMENT TO "SPIDERMAN"!
by scott_summers
www.thahood.homepage.com
Start off with Parker's origin as a kid in high school who, while on a field trip to the 2000 World's Fair in New York, gets bit by a radioactive tarantula. He immediately starts noticing changes in his body(holes in his wrists where webs shoot out, the strength of ten men, superhuman quickness and agility, a "sixth" sense) but keeps all of it a secret from everybody because he doesn't want to end up a guinea pig for NASA. The only person he tells is Uncle Ben who, aside from Aunt May, is the only human being on this planet he trusts now that his folks died in a plane crash. Ben is a ringmaster in a circus. Ben wants Petey to be in his circus show as the main attraction. Petey agrees as long as Uncle Ben keeps his id a secret. They go on tour for a couple months and every show sells out. Things however start to get a little rough when the circus comes back to NYC. The mafia wants a big kickback from Ben's circus because they've been making big money with their "Spider-Man" attraction. Ben is a stubborn fuck and tells the greasballs to go hump themselves. Peter Parker knows about this but does nothing because he's a pussy. One night while walking on the street carrying groceries, Ben is mugged and left with a bullet in his head. Parker doesn't know it for sure but thinks the mob had something to do with this. He realizes he shoulda done something earlier. He quits the circus, moves back with Aunt May, and starts patrolling the streets of New York as Spider-Man. After providing some impossible to get pictures, Peter Parker gets a job as a photo journalist at the Daily Bugle. It is here where he meets Mary Jane, an older babe-alicious reporter who they both know is too good for him. He's her photographer sidekick dude. In between nights of kicking ass in crackhouses and picking fights with the wiseguys on Mulberry Street, Parker meets a friend from high school, Gwen Stacy, who's working at a McDonald's. They begin to develop a "thing" that develops throughout the movie. While all of this happen the media of New York focuses in on Wilson Fisk, who's just been acquitted the fourth straight time since the Feds have started hounding him. Fisk is a businessman who has somehow taken over the underworld of New York eversince Cosa Nostra was nearly wiped out in the early 90's. On the streets he is known as the "Kingpin". Fisk is charismatic and an affable celebrity who takes it all in stride and even goes on Letterman joking about how he's gonna "whack" Dave. Spidey and Kingpin, protagonist and antagonist, eventually come into conflict with Spidey finding out that Fisk was indirectly responsible for Ben's death. The climax is on top of the empire state building with Spidey laying the smack down on Kingpin's ass 100 stories. Him and Gwen Stacy fall in love. -
That's all I need to say. And Wes Bentley is perfect for Peter Parker. PERFECT. And the guy who said Elton John as DocOck: BRILLIANT. Look at Ock in the animated series on FoxKids and it IS Elton John. Ha! Dammit Sonnenfeld SUCKS.
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Dec 01, 1999 5:20:53 PM CST
Oh, for crying out loud, hoser, shut up and go spank yourself of
by bubbleheadprime
To the blowhard wanker above who alleged that "we are the problem" -- look, bucko, first, you *assume* that everybody here is dumber than you, "going to 50-60 movies a year" just for the five to ten decent ones... How in the name of Alec Guiness do *you* know that? Second, this TalkBack -- like all of them -- is for people to share really cool opinions and engage in discussion, not so one pompous bloatmuffin can crown himself King of All That Is Cool and mock the rest of the peasants. Third, "the problem" is that certain studios simply don't appreciate what they have, in terms of scripts and film rights. Spectacle alone guarantees a big opening weekend in most cases, and that can carry even horrible big-budget abortions through to a fairly decent balance sheet. It's lowest-common-denominator business... As long as it's profitable, who cares? Make a quick buck, ruin the concept for anyone else to ever develop, get out and move on to the next treatment. You'll find many halfway decent minds in here agree with you, so don't waste your time antagonizing us. For crying out loud, we're all after the same thing here, people: Better movies for our bucks. Right? Can I get a witness?
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Spiderman should be done by a New York Director like Scorsese or Spike Lee. Start with a college aged Peter Parker, build the relationship with Uncle Ben, a Port Authority Cop and Aunt May.
Peter gets himself bit by a Radioactive (or genetically altered) spider and starts goofing around with his new found power to stick to walls and survive a beatdown by thugs like Flash Thompson. Have Peter, in an ego moment, go onto a radio program like Howard's...do the radio show and become the freak of the week..."Spiderman" is born. Next, appear on a show like Letterman, doing a "Stupid Human Trick" while in a crude costume. The only people who know is identity are the Radio guy Uncle Ben. Uncle Ben gets killed, but only after making the "with great power comes great responsibility." a speech that will haunt Peter for the rest of his life. Peter and Ben argue over it, Peter's view is "with great power comes big ass paychecks..". Shattered by Ben's murder, Peter becomes the web-slinging vigilante that Bugle (NY POST) editor J Jonah Jameson (R Lee Ermy) loves to call a menace to society. The villain should be the same normal man who forever transformed Parker's life by killing his Uncle Ben. All this while planting seeds for future character introductions. Fate made spiderman, so how about ending the movie with the creation of the absorbing man-who goes mad. No Mutants or Aliens. Just normal folks who through technology's arrogance become something MORE, and then their moral compass either works or it doesn't. DiCaprio would be my choice for Peter, and Dennis Hopper as Uncle Ben would be a good start. The closest to "genre" casting that this should go, is getting Ermy to play Jameson, and on the outside bet, having Stone Cold Steve Austin as the Absorbing Man. Jet Li as Spiderman? Nah. Better off getting an Olympic Gymnast than shelling out a premium for a face talent, just to cover it up. Spiderman's not a martial arts expert---he's a geeky dork, remember? When he fights he relies on speed and raw brawlability. So, to Sony, I am begging you, don't screw this property up. I'd rather have no movie than to have more crap (godzilla) thrown down my throat. Thank you. -
A moment of silence folks, please.
Now that Sony Pictures has frightened James Cameron off the Spiderman project, it seems that Chris O'Donnell will be playing Spidey...
CRAAAAPPPPP!!!
Goddamn, it's not enough that Chris O'Donnell should give us Batman: The Hands of Fate, no, he's got to go and destroy the icon of the Marvel Universe as well. Maybe we'll be lucky and he'll die in an explosion of lighting equipment.
And to top it all off, it seems that Sony does not think O'Donnell sucks enough for their movie. They want Ahnuld playing Doc Ock! Whatthehell!?!? So, is this movie going to have a scene with Schwarzenegger in bunny slippers singing along to the Beatles' Octopus' Garden? For Chrissake!!!
I'm going home and watch those silly tapes of Spiderman and his Amazing Friends. At least they were true to the character... -
Dec 01, 1999 5:41:32 PM CST
Chris O'Donnel is no longer an actor. actors change character fr
by orbitus
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Dec 01, 1999 5:48:12 PM CST
Wes Bentley, a very cool casting idea? Isn't Chris a little old
by lee_norman77
I agree with everyone that Arnold is just SOOOooo wrong for the part of Doc Oct, like someone said else in this ACE talk back said, Doc Oct isn't buff for start? Duh.....what casting nut-job thought of Arnold and Chris for the part anyway, someone too busy chowing down on billion dollar food at Spargo's or whatever the hell that fancy restrurant is called? Wes Bentley would rule! Although I think Elton John does indeed look like Doc Oct, I'm not sure he can act, what about Bob Hoskins or Ben Kingsly?
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Dec 01, 1999 5:51:52 PM CST
yes TRUE BELEVIERS it's all over.the movie companys are fucking
by mackalicious
ayup.
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Dec 01, 1999 5:52:17 PM CST
I cannot believe this information to be true - only in Hollywood
by moodman
Can anyone tell me if the bigwigs at Sony actually look in this kind of site? - If not is it possible that every fan of Spiderman sends as many emails as we can to them to tell them to either let someother film company have the rights to the movie or to make a movie that the FANS want to see. Batman was just right - brilliant casting (although Jack was a bit too over the top for my liking) Keaton as Batman was inspired and has to be the best comic hero casting I have seen yet (although when the X-Men comes out Patrick Stewart will probably take over - and I would have prefered Terence Stamp as Magneto - he just looks the part and is an excellent actor - but that is for another talkback). I would go along with the general consenus that Ed Norton would be ideal in the part although they really need to think of someone who can look a lot younger than they are as Peter Parker is still a kid. But as one of the earlier posts mentioned - I think Joe Pesci would be great as Doc Oc - put glasses on him and have him snarl at the camera, brilliant.. I think Sony are thinking about the money that Sonnenfeld brings in when he makes a movie and that is it... I know we all want Fincher to make this movie (and that would be sooooo cool), but what about Frank Darabont (I think that is how you spell his name anyway). Shawshank was a masterpiece and going by the reviews of the Green Mile it is looking the same - he could even do his own script from the comics(?) - I think the right level of humour would be there and he could show the kind of suffering that PP goes through..... just a thought.... but if Sony do read this - GET A LIFE AND LEAVE THE FANS HAPPY FOR A CHANGE!!!!!
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i still say Ed Norton as Spidey, if he'll do it, Alex Proyas directing darkly, and perhaps Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Doc, unless he's already overexposed by then
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If this problem gets fucked up like it looks like it will be, no one will ever get the go ahead to do it right in the future. The same problem goes for Lord of the Rings. We all want these to be the most kick ass flicks ever, and we know that there will be only one shot.
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Dear Bubblehead,
it is not *cool* to be insulting and the first half your message is pretty far from being an engaging discussion.
Since you are so hung up on my statistic, just ignore it, but I think the meaning is clear enough.
Your messace smacks of an inferiority complex since I never said that I belonged to any other group than the one I was describing. My end statment should have made that clear.
Yes, we (I'll adjust my terminology to spare your feelings) all want to see good movies, but until we stop giving the bad ones so much money, time and attention, Hollywood will stay on course.
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This guy would be SICK in the role. He can play the geek and the superhero angles and he just looks like Peter Parker. Fuck Ed Norton. Fight Club was good but he just sucks. Especially with that weak chin of his.
And Bentley would not have to act opposite green screen. Spider-Man if done right should be completely CGI. Any cloth costume would look WEAK!!!!! And humans just can't move like Spider-Man does. A question---how the fuck do these studio execs get their fucking jobs? Do these motherfuckers have business degrees or film degrees? Thought so. Who the fuck can say these morons know anything? Sony fucked Godzilla up good (unbelievable how they found a way to screw that up) and they will do same to Spider-Man. Doctor Octopus is the WORST!!!!! -
My first talk back and I have got to say that being a fan of Spidey since I can remember that I am just not exicted by anyone playing Peter Parker. It really needs to be some geek like the rest of us, because let's face it that way we all loved him anyway. And Arnold as Doc Ock, please...................
Send this back where it belongs in all of our fantasies. -
Can anyone explain to me why the original story from the comic book shouldn't be followed? Obviously it worked well. Spiderman became popular and is known to almost everyone in the country now. I have a blind spot for Hollywood adaptations. There are few good stories that need to be changed in my opinion yet Hollywood does it all the time. So, I don't have the critical judgement to understand what needs to change. You want to make Peter college aged so you can get a recognized actor? Then how do you retain the fact that he has to interact with bullies every day at school? They wouldn't be in his classes and you don't run into other students often in college. Can't they find someone to play a high-school aged kid? They seem to do it all the time for other movies. Why must the story be changed? Sincerely, I really don't understand the need to change the story. Spidey uses his powers to become a masked wrestler. That's beautiful! Especially nowadays with wrestling being so popular. The studio could wet themselves with cameos by popular wrestlers. It's just so frustrating to not understand why anyone would take a story that is PROVEN to work and then change it. Ack.
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What does this BLAND white boy continually get cast in films? Do casting agents say "We need someone whiter than Pepperidge Farm. Oh and he needs no acting ability whatsoever except for a constanly perplexed look on his face...Oh yeah, Chris O'D". I mean does this guy have ANY fans. Didn't everybody love his little BADASS act in the Batman films? Did you marvel at the complexity he brought to his doofus role in Cookie's Fortune? I'm betting Oscar glory for The Bachelor! Go ahead Barry...destroy this project. Let your losing streak continue. You deserve it for being so fucking stupid that you want to hire the Clueless Aryan Poster Boy of the Millenium in all his homoerotic glory!
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Could this be a weird,sick,twisted form of torture that Sony is doing???If they haven't got the hint yet, they really should stick to televisions and stereos!!!
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Who the fuck is this? What the fuck has he done? 1st you gays(whoops, I meant "guys") want him to play Anankin. Now Spider-Man. Next you'll want him to star as the lead in Good Will Humping
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We... Must... Fight.
I totally agree spider-man, we have to bombard them with e-mails, letters, and shit like that. We must let them know, we will not accept this atrocity! We will not let them destroy the character we all love! We will not let them disgrace Spider-Man, the best super hero ever made, on the silver screen! We will not settle for mediocrity! We cannot let them use this movie as a stupid soul less, possible franchise for their own profit. We must let them know that we won't tolerate that. We must let them be aware of us. The true believers!
Harry, other than
yourman@marvel.com, where can we let these people know whats on our minds? -
Dec 01, 1999 7:19:33 PM CST
TO HELL WITH SPIDER-MAN!!!!!!!! IT'S ALL OVER!!!!! SPIDEY IS SCR
by sexualchocolate1
...ANOTHER COMIC FLICK AGAIN!!! I AM SUPER-DUPER AND A 1/2 PISSED RIGHT NOW!!!! YOU SONY PEOPLE ARE SOOOOO RETARDED!!!!! I HATE U ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!! *sigh* I think I caught my breath now. *NOT QUITE!*
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Anybody got some appropriate PR email addresses at Marvel and/or Sony to send villification letters? I tried the ones at Marvel (as well as www.marvel.com itself) and cannot get through. If there's any justice, this is because their server itself, in a crushing realization of the horror it is now party to, imploded itself out of existence rather than spend another instant even tacitly affiliated with a Sonnenfeld/O'Donnell vehicle.
What truly disturbs me, however, is that it's gotten this far. By rights, Sonnenfeld should be hawking 20 oz. mountain dews on the 8pm - 4 am shift at a truck stop in Pasadena. I can't believe the man still finds work. MIB was passable (I'd probably choose it over old tennis match re-runs on ESPN2 about half the time) but 'Batman and Robin' was one of the most tragically awful films of all time. It wasn't even bad in a fun way, like Manos or Plan 9. At least in those a Butler catching the sniffles wasn't one of the primary plot motivators. I'll never forget the interview I saw of him on Entertainment Tonight or somesuch filler show where he espoused the glories of the cast by counting all the stars off on his fingers..'cause of course that's what makes a good movie. "Arnold...O'Donnell...Thurman...Silverstone...Vivica Fox...Elle MacPherson...Clooney.."
I imagine him now, in his great, dark mountain of ineptitude power, overlooking the vast wastelands of unsold WWW and Batman tapes, and cackling as he counts off on his fingers the stars that will make 'Spider-man' great, chanting that maniacal mantra "...O'Donnell...Arnold...
.... Ahmed Best... Sophia Coppolla... musical cameos by Poison and Tangerine Dream...Cher as Aunt May..Clooney as DP Editor...my god, it all fits! Someone get Sony on the voice-talky do-hicky and tell them the casting budget is a mere 85 mill! And remind them I get to try on all the latex outfits before the actor fittings! Mmm, latex."
Take me away from all this death.
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He is definitely perfect to play spider-man
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You are 100% right Harry. Eveerything you said was so right. I am a die-hard Spider-Man fan for all my life. Harry, you have spoken the exact feeling and emotions that I feel about the web crawler. I don't want to rant and vent out my frustrations. I just feel depressed that I can't do anything about it. Harry. What can we as Spider-Man fans do? I don't thin we could out bid Sony's writes to Spider-Man. I wish there was something we cpould do about it. Harry please help us. Help all the Spider-Man fans out there. We need a super hero like Spider-Man out there.
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Hearing this makes me wanna kill, yes, that's it! KILL!!!!!
Barry, you suck,you cant direct a movie like this, you talentless swine! -
Dec 01, 1999 8:20:52 PM CST
Oh Lord...please please please make Sony shitcan O'Donnell and g
by jsamson
On this day, a little bit of my fanboy soul has died. Even if this rumor turns totally untrue, I have no more faith in comic book movies from Marvel. The only decent one's been Blade, which wasn't really true to the comics. I had hopes for X-Men...they slipped when the 'great' team was announced, and then fell farther still after hearing of the costumes and seeing cyclops' visor. Now....Sonnenfeld and Chris O'Donnell? Jesus christ. I could even live with Sonnenfeld, but O'Donnell? TOTALLY WRONG for Peter Parker in every single way. I'm still behind Jason Lee. I've never seen someone in any movie ever who can deliver lines like that guy. I'll see anything he's in; Hell, he even almost saved Kissing a Fool (almost because not even Jason can overpower David Schwimmer's utter crap.). Jason Lee is the only man for the movie. I agree with whoever, in a previous post, said he deserves this role because he deserves to be a star. He truly does. Lee's one of the most gifted comedic actors I've ever seen. And he'd be great as Spiderman.
As for what I'd do for the movie? I don't agree with a lot of people who say that we should skip the intro. I think showing how the power first turned Parker into a stuck-up asshole before Ben's death brought him back to earth is an important one. And while many of these actors talked about are too old looking for high school, I have a feeling they'll not only go with the John Byrne (or 'crap' version of the origin where Doc Ock was created in the same explosion, but also say it happened in college. They always do stuff like that. But anyways, establish his roots, show him starting out as a hero, show him making mistakes and get adjusted to being Spidey for most of the movie, while the Doc plots in the wing. Then, when Ock finally unleashes just whatever he will unleash,have Spidey (still unsure of whether he's up for this) take him on; show Spidey's first real test. Have this be when the media really 'discovers' him (tho of course JJJ has to already be printing articles about the 'new menace' who's hit the streets.). And if the movie does good, you can always jump ahead a few years for the sequel when Spidey's more adjusted, when most people still think he's a bad guy,and do a Venom story. But, for the first one...the beginnings. That's what we need.
Or at least, that's my opinion, which I'm sure no one else will agree with. But hey, everyone has how they want it to be done, right? This is mine. As long as O'Donnell doesn't touch it with a ten foot pole, not to mention Arnie, then it may still be decent...
-=-JSamson -
Dec 01, 1999 9:10:04 PM CST
There is only one way to stop this from ever happening again...
by choda boy
NOT SEE THE FUCKING MOVIE!!!! When this pig fucker comes out we geeks should all avoid it at the theater like it was Sarin Rufus on fire. These pricks will keep making crap if we keep paying for it. Why is Sonnenfeld getting the director's chair, because we were retarded enough to go see that flaming pile MIB fifty times. Someone tell me the plot of that movie please. Its been three years and I still don't know. Maybe if it gets an opening like say, The Bachelor, we'll never have to deal with the hacks involved in this project again. No matter how many times you people have said you hated WWW, you all still went to see it. Hell, I saw it kust because I loved the show, but this is as much as I can take. Maybe one day someone will make a Darkwing Duck movie and it will be great. They've already fucked over my other two favorite superheros, Batman and Judge Dredd. And, for my money, the best superhero movie ever is Orgazmo with Trey Parker, co-creator of South Park. If you haven't seen it, rent it. It's a modern classic and better than the long, overrated Superman movie. I have never, once sat through that whole movie. The second one was just better
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How freaking retarded Spiderman in his costume would look on screen? Maybe they'll change it to black leather, a la X-Men...
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But the guy who plays Xander plays him as a kind of cynical and sarcastic character, which I don't think is really what Parker's attitude is.
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The level of hyperbole here is just appalling. To believe what's been posted here, nobody involved with the project is at all capable of producing any good work, is in league with the devil, or both.
Sonnenfeld angry with Harry? I can understand why- doesn't anyone else find it a bit disturbing that a decree of "it's bad, it's dead, don't see it" can be made by a select few before the public even gets a fair chance at it? Terribly elitist. I know I'd be upset if I'd spent a year or so of my life working on a movie I was really proud of, only to have it summarily trashed by a few spies who think their word is law. It's consensus gone even worse than it was. Okay, review the films and spoil their plots months before release, but don't act surprised when filmmakers take offense. -
My understanding is that goldfish have a very limited memory. Thirty seconds, tops. They swim around a tank, run into another goldfish that they saw barely a minute earlier and say, "Whoa. Who're you, new guy?"
Over a decade ago, as fan hysterics exploded over how a Batman film with Tim ("Pee Wee's Big Adventure") Burton directing and Michael ("Beetlejuice") Keaton starring could only be camp crap, I almost got lynched when I said I'd take a wait-and-see attitude. People demanded to know how I could remotely be sanguine about such an obvious travesty.
So to all the people who have forgotten how the fans tore into the director and star of the film that forced audiences to take Batman seriously, may I just say one word:
Goldfish.
PAD -
.. from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Nicholas Brendan? I really liked that rumor. He's great with humor and could keep the zingers flying, has the Everyman vibe. Looks the part. Could handle the ridiculous comic-booky stuff without going overboard, it would be natural, it would work. This info worries me.. the plot sounds uninteresting, and the casting seems wrong. They might want the bigger-name heart-throbbish actor to bring in the girls, but this girl won't be coming in until it starts sounding better.
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I swear that once (years ago) when I was younger, I was watching some show on TV, and you know how at the end of shows, they'll show the logos of all the companies that were involved with that particular show? Like the Warner Bros logo they used to show at the end of Dukes of Hazard or the logo with the cat that said "meow" with Bob Newhart's voice at the end of Newhart? Anyway, at the end of whatever show this was, this particular logo showed the name of whatever company it was for, and then Spider Man fell out of the top of the screen and landed in his spider pose on top of the word - and his costume wasn't all underoos looking, like the old movie. It looked COOL - kinda darker, like the new Batman outfits. And the whole logo was kinda dark, and the background was black. Does anyone else remember seeing this? What company was it? Can I get the flick anywhere? Help!
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