What Stan Lee has basically done here is create his very own Spider-Man. With the Condor, we have a basically privileged young man whose life is really in need of a boost. When his parents die, he is rendered basically crippled after being attacked, and becomes a superhero. One that talks the villains to death to piss them off. The Condor is basically the equivalent of the Spider-Man rogue Rocket Racer with a mixture of that lame superhero from the nineties: MANTIS.
Tag Archives: Adventure
Stan Lee Presents Mosaic (2006)
“Mosaic” lured me because, well, anything these days that doesn’t look like quasi-anime made just gets a pass with me, and “Mosaic” gets a pass for looking like honest to goodness animation. “Mosaic” is made up to look like a moving comic book. Wherein the recent Marvel cheap-o cash-ins, “Mosaic,” from Stan Lee’s Company “Pow” entertainment, seeks to be unique, while also possessing the same novelty of a comic, fonts and all. But don’t let the animation fool you, it’s not something I’d suggest for anyone under fifteen, basically because watching the villain break a guard’s neck, was something that drew a furrow of the brow. But hey, the writing by Scott Lobdell paired with Anna Paquin’s name really drew me to this fantasy actioner, I must say.
Aquamarine (2006)
It’s hard to really deny that Jojo and Emma Roberts have an interesting chemistry. Had the writers chosen to make “Aquamarine” a down to Earth glimpse at friendship with a mermaid, and turned away from the sickening fluff, there could have been something very emotional and clutching. But in the end, it’s really just a typical on-screen friendship. The girls are bubbly, and boring, and Roberts is your typical geeky character, etc. There’s one interesting sequence in which the two argue and bring about issues that are never confronted in the film. And I sat there wondering why the hell this was never brought up with a lengthier and complex scope. For a film that claims to be about friendship, it’s sad we didn’t see more of the depth available with the two main characters here. Jojo and Roberts’ chemistry is charming to watch, and I didn’t despise watching them yammer back and forth. Meanwhile, I could have done with more scenes featuring Arielle Kebbel as the obligatory bitchy character because… well, Kebbel is gorgeous. Need I say more?
The Invincible Iron Man (2007)
You have to give it to Marvel Comics. While DC refuses to allow certain freedoms to separate properties of their characters for fear of “confusing fans” and undermining our intelligence, Marvel Comics openly allows their characters to be portrayed in different mediums. Even with a big budget film adaptation in the works, with Robert Downey Jr. starring, and John Favreau directing, they still allow this animated adaptation to be released to fans. Because, we can tell the difference. We just can. We’re not as dumb as WB and DC perceives us to be. One of the better improvements upon the Iron man animated film is that it bears no real connection to the previous “Ultimate Avengers” series of films. Meanwhile, the story of Tony Stark and Rhodey is played with a level of espionage and suspense of your typical spy film, shying away from any sort of camp. Here Stark is hardly ever referred to as Iron Man, and the character is more of a presence, and less a superhero.
The New World (2005)
The story of Pocahontas just isn’t interesting. There’s nothing about this pseudo-historical tale about a young woman who became civilized that attracts it to me. With “The New World,” there’s no new angle presented to the audience, no new exploration of other characters, and the soapy drippy romance is still present and accounted for. “The New World” just didn’t live up to the hype that preceded it, and that’s because Malick anxiously looks for a new method of telling this yarn and pretty much never achieves his goals in that respect from the get go.
Poseidon (2006)
From the beginning, “Poseidon” sets up pins for the potential humongous tidal wave to knock down one by one, and it couldn’t be more obvious if they tried. There’s the over protective father who built the ship, there’s Kevin Dillon playing the worm once again, there’s the independent daughter of the ship’s builder whose boyfriend has an “I’m fucked” sign over his head from minute one, there’s Freddy Rodriguez as a waiter who is hauling his wife aboard secretly. Gee, they may as well have targets on their asses. It’s interesting to note, Rodriguez, one of the few minorities in this corn fed remake, receives the most gruesome, and early death of the entire cast. Curious.
Cars (2006)
Maybe it’s because Pixar seems to be attempting to appeal to the NASCAR crowd, maybe it’s because Pixar seems to be glorifying a “sport” that’s really just cars driving around in circles, or maybe it’s because Pixar has created a movie that is preaching about the good days of society when it was more innocent, from a company like Disney that’s basically sterilized and dominated the world with its utterly sickening spree of overpriced merchandise. Turn any corner in Times Square in New York and you’re guaranteed to see something from Disney. And that’s not a coincidence. Disney is the cause of many problems in America, one of which is their sheer monopoly on companies and media, and the contribution to the overall vast consumption that’s ruined how Americans think.