Kat’s Film and Book Reviews

Image courtesy of FusedFilm.com

Some creative differences between Sam Raimi, who was in the early stages of directing Spider-Man 4 with the original cast, and Sony Pictures effectively mean that the long awaited 4th installment in the Spider-Man franchise will not see the light of day.

Sony set a release date of May 2011, but Raimi said that was too soon, he couldn’t do it the way he wanted to do it in that time frame.  On top of that, troubles with the script kept the studio pushing back the start date time after time.  In the end, Sony opted not to change the date, and Raimi and the whole original cast bowed out.  Word is that Tobey Maguire was not all that  upset, and the parting between Raimi and Sony seems to be fairly amicable.  Sony certainly had some nice things to say about Raimi in their official press release (more on that in a sec).

Sam Raimi

But even if Sony’s done with the Raimi-helmed franchise, it’s not done with Spidey.  They are going to entirely reboot the series in 2012.  So, 2011 is out the window altogether, but Spider-Man will start over 2 years from now.  I’m not as thrilled about that, but they are already looking at James Cameron to helm the reboot.  They seem to be committed.

So what will Sam Raimi do next?  He’s considering a new franchise, World of Warcraft.  Isn’t that a video game?  I’m sure Raimi can do well with it, if anyone can.  And Sony, working through Columbia Studios, will stick with the all new Spidey 4.0.

Tobey Maguire

Here’s Sony’s official press release, if you’re interested:

Culver City, CA (January 11, 2010) — Peter Parker is going back to high school when the next Spider-Man hits theaters in the summer of 2012. Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios announced today they are moving forward with a film based on a script by James Vanderbilt that focuses on a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises.

The new chapter in the Spider-Man franchise produced by Columbia, Marvel Studios and Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin, will have a new cast and filmmaking team. Spider-Man 4 was to have been released in 2011, but had not yet gone into production.

“A decade ago we set out on this journey with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire and together we made three Spider-Man films that set a new bar for the genre. When we began, no one ever imagined that we would make history at the box-office and now we have a rare opportunity to make history once again with this franchise. Peter Parker as an ordinary young adult grappling with extraordinary powers has always been the foundation that has made this character so timeless and compelling for generations of fans. We’re very excited about the creative possibilities that come from returning to Peter’s roots and we look forward to working once again with Marvel Studios, Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin on this new beginning,” said Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

“Working on the Spider-Man movies was the experience of a lifetime for me. While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job,” said Sam Raimi.

“We have had a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration and friendship with Sam and Tobey and they have given us their best for the better part of the last decade.This is a bittersweet moment for us because while it is hard to imagine Spider-Man in anyone else’s hands, I know that this was a day that was inevitable,” said Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, who has served as the studio’s chief production executive since the beginning of the franchise. “Now everything begins anew, and that’s got us all tremendously excited about what comes next. Under the continuing supervision of Avi and Laura, we have a clear vision for the future of Spider-Man and can’t wait to share this exciting new direction with audiences in 2012.”

“Spider-Man will always be an important franchise for Sony Pictures and a fresh start like this is a responsibility that we all take very seriously,” said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures. “We have always believed that story comes first and story guides the direction of these films and as we move onto the next chapter, we will stay true to that principle and will do so with the highest respect for the source material and the fans and moviegoers who deserve nothing but the best when it comes to bringing these stories and characters to life on the big screen.”

The studio will have more news about Spider-Man in 2012 in the coming weeks as it prepares for production of the film.

Image courtesy of publispain.com

2004 was the year that everyone was surprised to see this quirky little film on the Oscar nominations list.  It deserved each of the six technical nominations it got.  But this film was more than just technically good; it truly deserved its place on that Best Picture list.  Even with a respectable slate of nominations for Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction, Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Costumes, and Editing (all but one of which, Cinematography, it lost to Return of the King) where were the nominations for Best Director, or Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor?

I realize that this was the year of the Return of the King (many of whose actors were also overlooked).  I’m a fan of the LOTR trilogy, so I can’t begrudge them any awards, but I’m indignant on behalf of Seabiscuit, which is really much more than it seems at first glance.

Set against the backdrop of the depression, director Gary Ross tries hard—sometimes too hard—to parallel the story of the horse nobody wanted with the story of poor workers that nobody seems to want, either.  It’s an effective parallel most of the time, even if it’s handled with inconsistency—sometimes we’re hit over the head with it, and sometimes it’s ignored.  But the parallel works to lay the background for the public’s investment in the little-horse-that-could, the equine David challenging the Goliaths of the racing world.

Far more important than the bad-horse-turned-good-and-giving-hope-to-the-nation story is the other parallel—the one about a boy who, like this horse, is struggling to find his place in the world.  Tobey Maguire plays jockey Johnny “Red” Pollard as a little guy with a huge chip on his shoulder.  He’s antagonistic and hostile, and his temper gets the best of him more than once.  When he’s not able to support himself by working with horses, he enters boxing matches in which he routinely gets beaten to a pulp, leading eventually to blindness in his right eye.

One of the more moving scenes in the film takes place through the eyes of Tom Smith, Seabiscuit’s trainer (Chris Cooper in a follow-up performance to his Oscar winning role in 2003’s Adaptation), in which from one eye we see a group of men trying to subdue the wild Seabiscuit, and from the other eye we see a group of boys trying to beat up a wild Red.  The parallel is clear, and from that moment on, Tom uses Red as Seabiscuit’s jockey.

The film avoids the common error of making the horse a centerpiece of the narrative; Seabiscuit is simply a prop, a device, as he should be.  The hero of this film is scarred and scrappy Red Pollard.  Red’s journey from explosive hostility born of pain to self-control and emotional openness is the central point of the story.  He never quite loses that intense, aggressive edge, and we don’t want him to.  He can deliver poetry or Shakespeare with an incisive and wounding sharpness, especially in moments where he feels he’s been betrayed by those he’s allowed himself to care about.

This is by far the edgiest and most complex role Maguire has played, and the refusal of the Academy to acknowledge it, while giving the nod to the film itself, was misguided.

Another golden performance was given by Chris Cooper, as Tom Smith.  He’s wise and determined, the voice of fatherly wisdom not only to young Red, but to Charles, Seabiscuit’s wealthy owner, played by Jeff Bridges.  Tom’s got a temper, to be sure, and some of the best scenes are the ones where Tom goes head-to-head with Red, with Charles playing referee between his two employees. The film is as much about the relationship between Tom and Red as anything else, with some added-on emoting by Bridges.  Bridges is always the same character in his films; fortunately, it’s a lovable and charming character, so we don’t mind spending time with him.

A good supporting cast rounded out the narrative.  Elizabeth Banks is good as Charles’ competitive young wife, and William H. Macy delights as Tick-Tock McGlaughlin, the erstwhile racing announcer.  Eddie Jones is a sufficiently unpleasant nemesis in his Lionel Barrymore-esque role as the rich and powerful Riddle.  Extra stars go to real-life jockey Gary Stevens, playing fellow jockey and friend George Wolfe, who challenges and supports Red whether he likes it or not.  All in all, this was a strong, well-told story that deserved more attention than it got.  But I guess the lesson we learn from Seabiscuit is that quality isn’t always measured in prizes.