R.I.P. Stan "The Man" Lee 1922-2018

I absolutely hate writing these, and for quite some time I have avoided these, and a lot of writing this year for various reasons.

But when I saw the news today that Stan Lee had passed away at the age of 95, well, it's time to dust off the keyboard and get back to my favorite job:

Writing.

I owe that passion for writing to Stanley Martin Lieber, better known to us all as Stan Lee.

I was first introduced to Stan Lee as the creator of Spider-Man with  Amazing Fantasy # 15.

While I wasn't lucky enough to be around when it premiered, through countless reprints, I learned of Spider-Man's origins from the nerdy Peter Parker to the hero with problems, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

What made Peter Parker or the Fantastic Four so special?

Lee brought the humanity to his characters, the kind of which you never really saw in the Distinguished Competition.  Batman, Superman and the like seemed to perfect in what they did. There wasn't second guessing, joking because they were scared or any of those things. They were godlike, or at the very least, nearly perfect in the way their lives unfolded.

At Marvel, they were humans that were often thrust to do heroic things, even if it terrified them as they were doing it. It was refreshing, it was new... And now it's the model of how it's done.

Through the decades, fans have debated which was better, DC or Marvel. My answer has always been Marvel.

Stan imbued his characters with the best traits that we often aspire to be.

At the end of the day, it wasn't the costume, it was the person that wore the costume that truly mattered.

You take Peter Parker or Steve Rogers or Tony Stark or countless others out of their costume, and they are still as heroic and noble and yes, flawed, as when they are in it.

The man who brought "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility" to life on the comic page for a teenaged hero-to-be spoke to us all.  We all have that power within us, we must use that power responsibly.

It is through our actions that we make the world a better place, and Stan gave us a great role model for kids of many generations with Peter Parker.

For those that didn't take the nerd/geek path and follow comic books when they were growing up, well....

Welcome to the 21st Century and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 20 films, and just about as many cameos later, the non-comic book reading world finally got to see what the rest of us already knew:

Marvel Comics are phenomenal!

I get goosebumps and misty eyes when the Marvel Studios banner unfurls... never did I expect to see these films in my lifetime, let alone that they would be so good.

That Stan got to be there when it all gelled into the perfect storm had to be icing on the cake for the man that had a celebrated career, one that will live on because of those very characters that he created/helped create nearly a half century ago.

Stan may have been embarrassed early in his career by what he was doing, and he was never able to be the great American novelist or anything, but I think he had one helluva career.

And if I'm asked who my favorite American author is, it's always Stan Lee, without hesitation.

Go read Amazing Fantasy # 15 again if you don't believe me.

Thank you for shaping my childhood, raising me into adulthood, and letting me share your creations with my children as you shaped yet another generation.

God Speed Stan Lee, you are now, and always will be, THE MAN!

Excelsior!!!

It's Been A Decade, Still Waiting For A Sequel To "The Incredibles"

The Incredibles (2004)

Rated PG for slightly scary stuff... if you're like a baby or something! ;)

Starring Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Spencer Fox, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee

Directed & Written by Brad Bird

The Story:

Mr. Incredible (Nelson) and Elastigirl (Hunter) were two of America's best superheroes.  However, the times have changed, and all of the old heroes have gone into "retirement" at the behest of the government.  Trying to live a normal life, they started a family, but Mr. Incredible has the itch to get back into the game.  When given a chance to relive some of the old glory days, he takes a chance, but is captured by Syndrome (Lee) a wannabe sidekick with delusions of grandeur.  It's up to the family to save their dad, and the day.  Can they do it?

With the release of this film, it was easily, for me, considered the best superhero movie ever.

If Marvel Studios hadn't hit a home run with Iron Man, I would have maintained that the best way to bring the heroes to life would be to follow Pixar's lead and craft well written stories that allow for the dynamics of animation to best convey the stories of superheroes.

But, Marvel made miracles happen, and the rest is history.

Meanwhile, The Incredibles now celebrates a decade of being one of Pixar's finest films.

It also cements the fact that Brad Bird is arguably the best writer/director of animated films of this generation.

The Iron Giant
The Incredibles
Ratatouille

All written and directed by him.

Probably John Lassetter is the only one more successful, but Bird was doing it prior to his arrival at Pixar, and he's also made the jump to live action films with Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol which was a very highly entertaining entry in that franchise.

The voice cast is spot on in this film, from the kids to every character throughout the film.  The dialogue and plot just pulls you in and holds you until the very end.

Plus, before he was Nick Fury, Samuel L. Jackson was FroZone!

:)

Excellent, all the way around.

Final Grade: A+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Own it, love it.  Looking forward to the announced sequel (about time!)

The Sound Nobody Made Rushing To The Theater For This One..."Zoom"

Zoom (2006)
Rated PG

Starring Tim Allen, Courteney Cox, Chevy Chase, Kate Mara, Spencer Breslin, Ryan Newman, Michael Cassidy, Rip Torn

Directed by Peter Hewitt

The Story:

Jack (Allen) used to be a superhero, Captain Zoom, years ago.  However he gave up the gig when his team was destroyed fighting a super-villain, who just happened to be Jack's brother.  Years later, his brother is coming back from the dead, and the government wants to create a new team of heroes, so they round up some kids (Mara, Breslin, Newman and Cassidy) and under the watchful eyes of Dr. Grant (Chase) and Holloway (Cox), they will  become the planet's best hope for survival.  The project leader (Torn) wants to bring Zoom back into the fold to help train the kids.  Will they be ready to save the day?

Ah, the simpler times.

Super hero movies before the arrival of Iron Man.

:)

This, coupled with Sky High, made for a cute, family friendly superhero escape in the wake of The Incredibles.

Overall, the movie is still cute and fun nearly a decade later.

The acting is good, the storyline is okay.

I think the movie tried too hard to squeeze in gags for the sake of having a comedy moment.

Yes, I'm thinking of the sequence of Chase in the test chamber specifically.

The best gags in the movie happened organically, instead of forced.

A nice time capsule of life before the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I do already own it, but it doesn't see much viewing time, as this is the first time in 8 years. :)

The Twelve Reviews of Christmas...Day Eleven: "Elf"

You sit on a throne of lies!

The Story:

Buddy (Will Ferrell) crawled into Santa's (Edward Asner) bag during a visit to an orphanage.  Raised in the North Pole by Papa Elf (Bob Newhart), Buddy has never realized that he's not an Elf...he's human!  In fact, he's the son of Walter (James Caan), who works at a publishing company in New York, and unfortunately has landed on Santa's naughty list.  Buddy sets off to New York to meet his dad, and along the way finds a girl, Jovie (Zooey Deschanel) and becomes smitten.  Then, on Christmas Eve... all of these storylines come to a head as Christmas is about  to be cancelled forever due to the lack of Christmas Spirit.  Can one lone Elf save the day?

Count on it!

It's been 10 years since Elf arrived in theaters.

In that decade, the movie has become a classic.

Or if not a classic, a staple of the holiday season.

There is "The Holy Trinity" of funny Christmas movies.  Scrooged. Christmas Vacation. Elf.

We can discuss and debate which is the best of those movies all season long.

At this house, the holidays don't officially begin until at least one of those movies has played.

Normally, that happens sometime between the first of November and Thanksgiving.

: )

This movie wears its heart on its sleeve, happily.  You cannot watch this movie and not smile.

Yes, even those out there that hate Will Ferrell, watch this movie and not be impressed with the childlike wonder he brings to the role of Buddy.

Surrounded by a great cast, this is Ferrell's best performance, hands down.

Directed by Jon Favreau, he proves equally adept at comedy as he does with action (Iron Man).

It doesn't get much sweeter, or funnier, than this.

Final Grade: A+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Infinitely.  Love this film.

Holiday Blockbuster Weekend Concludes: "Iron Man 3"

Not a hoax...not a dream...

This is the review after seeing the movie again at home, even though there is a perfectly suitable review for Iron Man 3 back when it was in theaters:

http://talesfromthequeue.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-tin-man-has-heartiron-man-3.html

Now, on to today's update!



I am Iron Man.

The Story:

Tony Stark (Robery Downey Jr.) returns to end the trilogy of Iron Man films.  This time, he faces the loss of everything he holds dear, including Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his sanity as he still recovers from the events of New York.  The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) is apparently sending suicide bombers around the globe to punish the American people.  Happy (Jon Favreau) gets caught in the cross-hairs, and sets Tony on a path of revenge.  All of these events conspire in a cyclical tale that flashes back over a decade when Tony ran into Aldich Killian (Guy Pearce) for the first time.  That chance encounter comes back to haunt him at the worst possible time:

Christmas.

Written (partially) and directed by Shane Black, of course it's Christmas!  That's his schtick.  See the Lethal Weapon franchise for further proof.  And that franchise alone will get Shane Black a pass with me on most of what he does for the rest of his career.

That said, Iron Man 3 doesn't need a pass, it's actually that good.

Is it as good as the first one?  Debatable.  It's newer...shinier...
Is it better than the 2nd one?  No question.

I had a blast watching it.  For the critics, many of whom live under my roof, who found holes in the film... well, there are holes everywhere, in every film.

They just didn't bother me so much.

: )

It has been a fun run watching Robert Downey Jr. inhabit the role of Tony Stark to the point where he IS Iron Man, pure and simple.  Someday these Marvel franchises will require rebooting, and while most roles will be easily changed out (see the Hulk...), I do not envy the person that has to pick up where Downey will leave off.

So for now, I'll forget that will happen, and simply soak in the fun and good times that Marvel is giving me with these movies.

Trust me, 10 year old me NEVER thought this day would come, so all in all, this guy is pretty darn happy.

Oh, and the whole outcry about the Mandarin?  Brilliant.  Thought it was absolutely perfect.  Remember kids, these aren't exactly based on the comics, they just contain the same characters.

Plus, these are light years more fun than anything DC is giving us to enjoy.

And finally, do stick around for the end credits, it caps off the movie perfectly.

: )

Final Grade: A (upgraded from A- in the theatrical run)

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Even though a few in my house moaned about some of the plot holes, I'm hoping it's under the tree this Christmas! :)

The 'Real' Best Picture of 2008 Should Have Been... "Iron Man"

You will believe a man can fly...

In a suit of armor!

The Story:

Multi-billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is in Afghanistan demonstrating his newest weapon for the military when his convoy is attacked and Stark is injured.  Ordered to build a weapon for terrorists, Stark designs an armor that can be worn as a weapon.  It also happens to be able to save his life after his injuries.  However, when Stark finds out who is behind the terrorist organization, it's a betrayal that cuts even deeper than any injury he suffers from.

Wow.

I love this movie.

Jon Favreau signs on as director for the first film from Marvel Studios, and he hit a home run.  Any fear that Marvel was getting in over their heads was put to rest, relatively, by the performance of the first of the "Phase One" of the movies.

Surrounding Downey were excellent casting choices such as Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Lt. Colonel James Rhodes (Terence Howard).  These pieces are vital to the mythos of Tony Stark, and they serve the movie well here.  Filling out the unheralded role as Jarvis, Paul Bettany provides the voice of Tony's armor.  It's an interesting twist on the comics, and one that works very well for the movie.  I would be remiss if I didn't also mention the screen debut of one of the most endearing characters in the Marvel Universe: Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg).  I'm not sure if it was fleshed out from the beginning, but it was hard not to like the little guy. : )

As for the villain, Jeff Bridges plays the weasel Obadiah Stane perfectly.  Going into the film, comic fans knew what was to be expected, but I'm sure it came as a surprise to many non-fans.

Downey brings a cocky swagger to the role that just nails everything the comic book character symbolized, and brings it into the real world.  I'm very pleased that they've left the alcoholic subplot out of the movies, and I hope they keep it out.  That was a period that was influential in the book, but is really a minor footnote in the grand scheme of things.

Tony needs to be challenged mentally, physically and intellectually.  Leave the booze on the sideline.

It's not the perfect superhero movie, but five years later...

It's pretty darn close.

Final Grade: A.  I'm raising it up from the A- simply because it is such a good film that still holds up, and really works for the foundation of the universe.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Yes, yes...yes!  So much so that I now have a cool briefcase containing this and many other films on Blu Ray.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 20 ~ Iron Man

And so the Top 20 begins, and I find it fitting that it begins with the re-invigorating of the superhero franchise.

Iron Man.

The first film from the newly created Marvel Studios.  All of the franchises that were not already farmed out to other studios (Ghost Rider, Daredevil, X-Men, Spider-Man, Blade) would now fall under the Marvel Studios umbrella.  Like the comics, the project was ambitious:

Create a cinematic Marvel Universe.  Character A could pop up in Character B's film, etc. etc. etc.

Yeah, just like the comics.

Coming out of the gate it was announced that Iron Man would be the movie to start things off.

Talk about a 2nd Tier hero... this was no Batman or Spider-Man that everyone has heard of, this is a character that is known by comic fans but to John Q. MovieGoer... this might prove to be a harder sell.

Then Robert Downey Jr. was cast in the lead.  Not some unknown actor, ala Christopher Reeve as Superman.  This was an established actor, who is really quite good at his craft.

Directed by Jon Favreau (who will hit the list once more...), he assembled a stellar cast and then worked with Marvel to establish what they wanted to set up as the movie Tony Stark versus the comic book Tony Stark.

And in 2008, Iron Man was unleashed upon the public.

So remember, until 2004, my answer for the best Superhero movie ever made was Superman: The Movie.
Then for 4 years, The Incredibles held the top spot.
Then in 2008, the game was changed forever, when Iron Man was released, and for me, the Marvel Studios revolution began, and super-hero movies were forever changed (for the better...at least I hoped).

It was a critical and box office success. 



And for the last four years, Iron Man has held the spot on the chart and in my heart for best superhero movie ever released.




Brief plot description:

Tony Stark, brilliant billionaire who designs weapons for the government is kidnapped by bad guys who want him to design a weapon for them.  Injured, he crafts a suit of armor as a weapon, but also to save his life.  Suddenly, his life takes on a whole new meaning when he decides that maybe his calling is to stop making weapons, and become the weapon.


Awesomeness ensues.

Iron Man 2... less so.  But I'll give that one a pass, as the bar was set so high with the first installment, there was really nowhere to go but down.  Sequels tend to not live up to the shadow of the first, but often can bring about a nice trilogy finish with the third installment.


Until then, sit back and enjoy the ride.  For any detractors to this, or any other Marvel movie franchise...

Suck it up.  There is no way that Marvel should be able to pull off the success they are having now with their franchises, with the quality of actors that they are assembling to give us the best product that they can.

Don't believe me?

Look at Spider-Man, a franchise that was cast wrong from the beginning, and has been rebooted after 3 films.

Look at Batman, who will likely be rebooted again now that Nolan and Bale are done with the cape and cowl.  Hope you enjoyed it while it lasted.

Look at Superman Returns...

On second thought...save yourself.

: )

But just like comics, enjoy the lightning in a bottle that you have.  Writers and artists come and go all the time.

These actors/directors can't play the same part forever, so enjoy what they give us, while they can give it to us.

Because someday, these franchises will have all new leading men/women in the starring roles for a new generation of moviegoers to enjoy.

I hope I'm around to enjoy them, and that they are enjoyable.

For now, pass the popcorn, and let me enjoy some superheroics with my kids!

And for the record, if someone asks me now what the best superhero movie is?

It changed in 2012.

More on that...later!