The PC Thug: Why I Love the Comic Book Movie Wave

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Wait, so you’re telling me, Kevin Feige the Marvel CEO claims that he and the company have planned Marvel Cinematic universe movies well in to 2025? So by the time I’m in my forties I’ll still be watching superhero movies? And you’re also telling me that FOX is expanding the X-Men movie line? And you are also telling me that Sony is planning to make more Spider-Man movies, and a Venom movie, and a Sinister Six movie? Also, Netflix is going to have three series based on overlooked Marvel heroes like Daredevil soon?

Have I died and gone to heaven? It has never been this good to be a superhero fan. Never. You can argue that there was a time before this, but you’d be wrong.

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The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

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Sony seems to be following the plan of Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” movie series, with “Amazing Spider-Man 2” being “The Dark Knight” of the series. Except Sony doesn’t seem to have a clear end in sight for their own flagship franchise. Which may or may not be a good thing. If they keep up the momentum that “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” does, we might be in store for a very complete reboot with a clear cut satisfying evolution of its titular hero. The writers and producers focus very heavily on correcting former director Sam Raimi’s mistakes, and they have pulled it off well. Granted this follow up to the 2012 reboot isn’t perfect, but it’s better than its Raimi predecessor.

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Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

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“They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

Ed Brubaker’s acclaimed source material is the basis for “The Winter Soldier,” a remarkable and incredible follow-up to 2011’s “Captain America.” I’m very secure in declaring that “The Winter Soldier” is the “Empire Strikes Back” of the Captain America trilogy thus far, as the sequel manages to not only give Captain America the much needed conflict with his American ideals, and age old views on the concept of freedom and liberty, but turns him in to a hero who is no longer fighting for America, but for the idea of America. “The Winter Soldier” picks up right after “The Avengers” where Captain America has essentially taken to SHIELD headquarters as a home base, and doesn’t really keep in touch with his old teammates.

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Marvel Knights: Wolverine Weapon X (DVD)

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A sentient organization is sent in to the past to assassinate future heroes and revolutionaries through robotic drones, you say? No, it’s not “Terminator,” it’s actually “Tomorrow Dies Today,” save for minor tweaks here and there. “Tomorrow Dies Today” is based on the Weapon X comic series issues 11-16, where the new Deathlok is introduced in the form of a hive minded group of robotic zombie assassins, tasked with violently murdering everything from young couples, to newborn babies.

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The 400 Blows (1959)

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Director Francois Truffaut’s picture about a young boy with absolutely no direction in his life is one of compelling storytelling topped by incredible filmmaking. Truffaut explores the aimlessness and joy of youth, as well as the ticking hands of time that accompany youth as our protagonist Antoine Doinel realizes all too early he’s becoming a man, and the innocence he’s savored for so long is doomed to come to a bitter end, very soon. Hence the haunting and enigmatic closing scene where he scampers on to the beach, one of his favorite locations in the world, and looks out on to what almost feels like a blank slate.

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The Days God Slept (2013)

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I admit that I went in to “The Days God Slept” with no real idea of what it was about. And then when it ended I felt like I’d been sermonized, which left me with a cringe. It’s the all too familiar religious guilt aspect that bothered me, and really doesn’t mesh with the story of “The Days God Slept” too well. I really liked the idea of men building up the image of a stripper and or erotic performer and never quite allowing themselves to see the human beneath the image. But once the religious aspect is introduced, it’s completely lost.

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Joe the King (1999)

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Interesting enough, fans of Truffaut seem to still compare Frank Whaley’s “Joe the King” to the former director’s “The 400 Blows.” It becomes very clear time and again that Whaley doesn’t just love the movie, he expresses it by cribbing from many moments in said film, and uses this semi-autobiographical film as an opportunity to stage many scenes in the vein of “The 400 Blows.” The only difference is that while Truffaut staged some moments of hope and whimsy that could at least offer his character a glimmer of hope, “Joe the King” is a sour and bitter film from beginning to end, with no idea how to finish its arc.

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