The Amazing Spider-man

So, as of yesterday, the next installment in the Spider-man franchise came to the big screen. Obviously, by next installment I actually mean a new origin, a new director, a new cast and the infusion of 3D - these days affectionately, or not, known as a 'reboot'. So don't go into this expecting Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, JK Simmons, Rosemary Harris, Cliff Robertson (RIP), Elizabeth Banks, Willem Dafoe, Dylan Baker or even Ted Raimi. This is a fresh batch. For whatever reason, the original plan of Sam Raimi returning to direct Tobey Maguire in Spidey 4 was shelved. Spider-man 3 was generally frowned on by most people, including the powers that be. Whilst it wasn't up to the level of Spider-man or Spider-man 2 (the best of the trilogy in my eyes), I certainly didn't warrant it bad enough to halt that arc of the Spider-man story and to have all principal players hung, drawn and quartered. Either way that is what happened, albeit maybe not with hung, drawn and quartering exactly happening (just told not to come back would likely be a more realistic description). So that brings us to The Amazing Spider-man.

Spider-man done Star Wars stylee - love it :)

For those who are familiar with the comics, The Amazing Spider-man tends to lean more towards the Ultimates series. For those not familiar with the comics, Ultimate Spider-man basically focuses on Peter Parker purely during his high school years. It also updates the story to go along with modern times, mainly Parker, whilst being the nerd, is also a bit of a skater kid and into all modern gadgets, such as mobile phones, etc. The film embraces all of these elements and you really do get the sense and realisation that behind this big, strong superhero is just a normal, skinny, everyday teenager. There's no Norse God, there's no super soldier, there's no invincible, adamantium boned savage. There's just a boy. Granted, said boy is a science whizkid with the proportional strength of a spider. Still, you find yourself constantly aware that this is just a boy, a normal boy with a caring family (the family members that are still around, that is). He has the every day problems a normal teenager has, the well meaning but often perceived as over bearing parental figures, the high school crush, the school bully, having to remember to pick up eggs on the way home, and the every day occurrence of coming home covered in bruises after having fought criminals throughout New York. Y'know, the usual?!

Clearly feeling the pain of having awesome powers and a stunning girlfriend

Surely by now most people are aware of the story of Spider-man. Socially awkward, yet morally strong and wittily astute, high school science nerd gets bitten by a radioactive spider, thus giving him the proportional strength of a spider, the ability to stick to walls and to shoot webbing from his wrist/webbing devices (depending on which origin you follow). There are a few similarities here to the origin given in Raimi's 2002 Spider-man; mainly involving a thief, Uncle Ben, a wrestling ring and, oh, the red and blue spandex coupled with webbing and superhuman abilities. Uncle Ben is portrayed by Martin Sheen this time around, with Aunt May being portrayed by Sally Field (Smokey & The Bandit FTW!). The couple are perfectly cast and they really portray a sense of sadness and regret at what has happened to Peter over the years. You see, in this film, a large chunk of the story revolves around Peter's parents and their sudden disappearance when he was a child. The story hints at wrongdoings, cover ups and general misdemeanors involving Richard and Mary Parker, all of which Peter is trying to get more information on. The story segue-ways nicely with the fact that Dr Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) used to work closely with Peter's father, Richard, on several science projects, most importantly on cross-species genetics.

The main story with the scientifically brilliant Doc Connors is that he is missing his right arm, with his life's work leading towards growing the arm back through the means of science. This in turn is heavily influenced by cross-species genetics and, in particular, lizards and their ability to regenerate limbs. Peter stumbles across some of his father's old work and seeks out Doc Connors for some answers. It is there that the ever smart Peter comes up with a science equation that could possibly allow Doc Connors to regrow his arm. As is often the case with the realms of comics and all things superhero, this doesn't quite go to plan. There's a tad bit of an adverse reaction, turning Doc Connors into The Lizard. From here on in, Connors slowly goes from an almost humanitarian figure to a full on crazy scientist that believes he has found a way for all humans to achieve perfection - mainly, he wants to turn them all into creatures similar to himself. Of course it falls on Spidey to have to stop him.

Peter about to stick the nut on

Whilst all of this is happening, Peter also finds himself developing a bit of a crush for the ever pretty but super sciencey (I'm not even sure if that's a real word) Gwen Stacy. As with the comic books, Gwen is Peter's first love. Forget Mary Jane, back in the day it was originally all about Gwen. It was only when Gwen was 'out of the picture' that Peter met MJ. Along with Gwen comes her family, most notably her father, Captain Stacy of the NYPD. This is where things differ a little from the comics. In the books Captain Stacy is a believer in Spider-man, with Gwen resenting ol' webhead (Stan Lee represent) for his acts. In this film the feelings of Gwen and the Captain are a little different. That's all I can really say without spoiling parts of the films or what may likely be around the corner in the inevitable sequels. Suffice to say, yes, there is going to be a sequel and, yes, there is the now standard after credits scene which alludes to this. Again, with the film only coming out yesterday, it would be a little bit harsh of me to ruin too much of the film.

Now, enough about the plot. The lead role of Spidey was always going to be a tough one to fill, especially given the huge success of the previous 3 films with Tobey Maguire firmly cemented in the red and blue spandex. That said, Andrew Garfield is fantastic as both Peter Parker and Spider-man, bringing a sense of emotion, power and the classic Spider-man wit to the character. There's a lot of humour sprinkled throughout the film, with it ranging from being heart-warming in it's sincerity to being one of of Spider-man's classic one liners. Garfield pulls off the teenage Parker brilliantly well and takes the character to places that Tobey Maguire never quite reached. I'm a fan of Maguire as the character but Garfield is the perfect fit for the new direction that they are taking the character in, that of the Ultimate Spider-man books, that of the troubled, everyday teen. Maguire seemed to get buff for the role, whereas Garfield has just the right look to pull of the gawky high schooler who has all of this power within. His relationship with the inspired casting choice of Emma Stone is perfect. They have the perfect balance of banter, emotion and torment, especially towards the end of the film. The tone of their relationship is just fantastically well done and is truly one of the highlights of the film. Again, the casting of Denis Leary as Captain Stacy and Rhys Ifans as Doc Connors proved to be strokes of brilliance, with each bringing the required dynamic to each character; Leary playing the honourable, strong, badge loving Captain, and Ifans expertly juggling the sympathetic and outright crazy aspects of the Doc Connors character.

Rhys trying to reenact the bath scene from Twin Town - "Fuckin' had you!"

The film is also a joy to look at, bright, vibrant and with several key set pieces standing out; one in particular that looks great involves an incident on a bridge with Spidey having to save a young child from a falling car. The film also incorporates many point of view shots - that view being of the hero in question. You get to see the New York skyline, the bright lights, the buildings, the people, the vehicles, all whilst Spidey is swinging from platform to platform. One aspect where the film does fall down, however, is the actual appearance of The Lizard. The CGI used doesn't look particularly horrendous, it just feels like it isn't up to the level of CGI used in other recent films and appears that the character will date pretty badly; almost having a Mummy Returns feel at times. One big gripe from me is the lack of a snout on The Lizard. This is merely just a pet peeve of mine as I grew up reading the books, watching the cartoons - all of which involved The Lizard having a very reptilian like snout, even leaning towards a crocodile at times. As I said, that's likely just a personal grip of mine and those who are only coming across the character for the first time now won't bat an eyelid at his current depiction. Harping back to the original character design, it was nice to get an, albeit brief, scene with him wearing his customary lab coat when under The Lizard guise. I also can't helping feeling sorry for Dylan Baker in all of this. He played Doc Connors throughout the first three Spider-man films with countless references and hints towards him becoming The Lizard, yet here he is missing out on his chance of playing the role of the big, bad supervillain. I can't help that he put in so much groundwork for it but was left with no payoff. That said, this is a reboot so I guess all previous work is to be forgotten. It's still a big shame though, much similar to Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent in Tim Burton's Batman films.

The Lizard rocking the pants, lab coat and snout look

All in all I'd say to get yourself and see Spider-man whenever you get a chance. The film absolutely flies by, lasting at over 2 hours 15 minutes yet only seeming to be in front of your eyes for 1 hour 30 minutes. Marc Webb makes sure that the pace is fairly frantic from the get go and covers a lot of ground in seemingly little time. It doesn't seem long until Spidey is swinging through the streets, but then you realise that so much has been covered in the time leading up to that, Peter's parents, Aunt May and Uncle Ben, the introduction of Doc Connors, even Flash gets some entertaining screen time. There's a few hints throughout the movie of what's to come, yet it also leaves enough answers blank to keep you guessing which direction the inevitable sequel will go in. Also keep your eyes peeled for arguably the best Stan Lee cameo so far.

Is the film worth the risk of restarting an already successful franchise? Is it better than the previous three Spider-man films? That's a whole new debate - one I may even write another blog on - but I'd say to just get yourself along, enjoy it and make your own mind up.

Sunday bloody Sunday

Just a quick drop in to add a bit more to my initial Fright Night post. Upon seeing all of the early pictures and the trailers, I was devastated by David Tennant's look for Peter Vincent. The initial images of David Tennant were more-or-less the complete opposite of Roddy McDowell in the original. Tennant seemed to be more of a Jack Sparrow/Keith Richards style Peter Vincent. His portrayal looked like it was going to be one of those moments where classic cinema moments are dragged into the present and modernised. Luckily for me, and possibly for others, Tennant sheds the Rolling Stones look midway through the film. There's a scene where he's talking to Charlie and he takes off his wig, peels off his facial hair and scrubs off his tattoos. I gave a big sigh of relief at this as then you actually get to see a good performance. I was resigned to a Keith Richards wannabe, Jack Sparrow style, so it was refreshing to see Tennant take off all of his shit and actually show a bit of the actual Peter Vincent character. That said, they did throw in a bit of an unnecessary plot with Peter Vincent and his parents. I'm not going to say any more and spoil things but it seemed a little forced and unbelievable. That said, I was sat in the cinema watching a film about a vampire called Jerry so I can't really criticize things for not being believable. All in all though, I'd give the film a big thumbs up. From the reports that I've read, the film bombed massively box office wise in the States. Apparently it made less in it's opening weekend than the 1985 original. That's a big blow. Regardless, go and see it, you'll thank me later. It's not going to change the face of the medium of film, but it's a fun way to kill 90 minutes of your life. I'm still not sold on the mum character though. Definitely not feeling any MILF vibes.

Moving swiftly on, the Town were awesome again yesterday. Like a lower league Barcelona, a small scale Manchester United, a non-league... Southampton. Another good performance, another 3 points and another dominant display. It baffles me to see us keep the ball so well as I'm just so conditioned to not seeing us play like that after all of those years. It's refreshing, it's positive, it's easy on the eye. The ball that Curtis Obeng put in for the 2nd goal was ridiculously good. It was basically begging Wright to put it out of it's misery. He finished it well and it was a relief to see him get his first goal for the Town. Again, Wright put a shift in. Great performance from the lad. There were moments where he was tracking back to full back and just generally being a pest. Fowler doesn't even get a mention because the performance that he put in is a given at this moment in time. Far too good for this level. His ball retention, his body shape, his vision... all top class. On a side note, it was good to see Dean Keates get a run out for the last 12 minutes or so. Again, another player that's too good for this level. The fact that he's on the bench at the moment shows the steps that we've made in regards to strength in depth. Last year Keates would have been thrown back into the team even if he was 40% match fit. At present we can afford to ease him back in gently and take our time with him. It'll be interesting to see what the starting line-up is when Keates is fully fit. You'd think maybe Tolley will make way but at the moment you can't change the team. Add to that the fact that Tolley is always a goal threat then you give yourself a bit of a conundrum. Either way, it's a good problem to have and the Town are sitting loud and proud at the top of the league. Happy day :)

Fright Night

Right, so I got around to checking out Fright Night yesterday. I say got around to but it was only out yesterday and I managed to get to the first showing at 1:45pm. The cinema had about 25 people in which is cool by me. The more empty the cinema then the more happy I am. That way there's less people to dick around with their phones or to just chat throughout the entire film.

Anyways, the film! It was surprisingly OK. The first 20 to 30 minutes were a bit bland but then it got going surprisingly well. It really surprised me how well it was done. It wasn't a direct carbon copy of the original Fright Night and actually changed things up quite well. I don't mean change things up in the "let's have Michael Myers talk" way, but they added scenes, removed scenes, threw in new bits. I'm not sure when writing my random thoughts whether I should talk fully about the film or try to avoid spoilers for people. I guess I should be kind and watch what I say. There's an interesting take on the whole vampires-can't-come-into-your-house-without-being-invited notion. Very clever. There's some parts that are a totally different from the original, and they work. The whole Evil Ed thing seems over a little quick initially, as in he's basically turned within the first 15 minutes or so and then doesn't pop up until about the hour mark. I'm not classing that as a spoiler as anybody that's seen the original Fright Night is expecting that. If you haven't seen the original Fright Night then fuck you, it's your own fault for not watching an '80's classic. One thing that was a little off putting is that I can never really buy Anton Yelchin as a school kid. I mean he's very baby faced but he's got massive wrinkles on his forehead whenever he talks and looks like one of those dudes who always partially look about 65 regardless of their actual age - like there's an old man waiting to burst out. They do manage to even throw in nods to the original film's make-up work, such as the genius big grin below.

Right, I think that covers it for now as I'm about to shoot off out to grab me a pie, pint and some entertaining Wrexham football. The Town are genuinely playing well at the moment, keeping possession, finding men, prepared to wait to find the right ball. It's a genuine joy to watch. Let's just hope we can keep it up against Kidderminster today. Fingers crossed that the Williams brothers don't come back to haunt us. Anyways, time for me to pop across the road for a pre-match pie and pint :)

First and foremost...

Hola! Well this is all new and confusing. Excuse me if I seem a little lost, this is the first real time for me trying this blog type stuff. Basically, it's something that I've debated doing for a little while, just a way to get my thoughts down on the random shit that goes through my mind from time to time.


If I was a meal then films would be the steak, football would be the chips, music would be the mushrooms and onions, with food popping up as the condiments. I hope that's a clear enough analogy. If not then tough, I'm not awake enough to think of an actual decent analogy. Deal with it.


I'm just going to use this blog to give my random thoughts on random goings on. I can't promise a precise structure or that what you read will be relevant, it's just a case of whatever pops into my head or whatever I feel like getting off my chest. There may even be tapeworms involved, just to warn you. That's something that I'm working on at the moment, although I'm not entirely sure where that came from. I think it came from a discussion about urban myths. Anyways, I'll get to that in a later blog. For now, this is just an introductory blog type thing. I hope to add pictures and videos once I've got into my comfort zone with all the fangled options involved in this blogging stuff. I was thinking of possibly going through my 10 favourite film scenes or favourite uses of music in film. Just ideas at the moment, but that's the type of thing that I'm looking at doing. I may even throw a few funky pictures of real life into this. Well, as real as it gets living in the 'hood' of Wrexham.


I guess that kind of gets the first post out of the way. Nothing too exciting but mainly just a way for me to see what this is all about. I'm off out on little trip to the cinema shortly. Fright Night's been released today and, as a huge horror geek, I'm all kinds of excited about seeing it. I know, I know, the original Fright Night is such an awesome film. I'm not really for re-makes/re-boots/re-imagings of films but, whilst I'll bitch and moan, I'll still go along and watch these films. I guess that keeps the studios happy - "All of these fans are bitching about how shit our film is and how it's sacrilegious to re-make 'insert film title here' but these same people pay to go and watch these films, meaning I can afford my monthly holiday to my own private island full of curvaceous, willing ladies". Yep, that gets the studios right where it hurts...


Anyways, I can feel myself going off on a slightly random tangent. Time to get it back on track. I've now got urges to talk about the films that I've seen in recent months, The Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Captain America, Thor, Green Lantern, Submarine, Scream 4, but I'll resist the urge. I'm even getting urges to blog about the sad loss of Mikel Arteta. On a quick note there, I'm still gutted about Arteta moving to Arsenal. I'm not an Everton fan, I'm a Wrexham fan. Over the years I've built up quite the soft spot for Everton, mainly down to a huge dislike of anything related to Liverpool FC and also down to my love of all things Mikel Arteta. There's not many players like him in the British game, a central playing midfielder who can pull out tricks and also put a ball on someone's toe from 60 yards. Now I'm not saying he's a Paul Scholes when it comes to passing, and I'm not saying he's a Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to tricks, I'm just saying Arteta is different to most players that you see in the British game. Granted, at times he was used on the right, even on the left on occasions, but he is just a very special talent. It only dawned on my over the last few days that a good part of the reason that I have this soft spot for Everton is purely down to Mikel Arteta. Logically, out of the bigger players that could've gone, then it makes sense for Mikel to be the one. Losing Baines or Jagielka would've been a big blow, whereas Everton are blessed for numbers in midfield. Arteta, Cahill, Osman, Neville, Rodwell, Barkley and Fellaini all battling for 3 places in the middle of the park. I guess it makes sense for one of them to go, and I suppose the positive spin on this is that it finally gives Rodwell his chance to prove if he is going to be good enough. Rodwell's had potential for years. For years he's been talked about as a future England player, yet he struggles to get 20 games a season. Maybe this is the chance for him to step up, for Ross Barkley to stake his claim. I'm still gutted to lose Arteta, but it makes sense in a way and no Evertonian can really begrudge him his move. He's getting the chance of Champions League football and, at 29, it could be his last chance at really getting to play at the top level of club football. I'd have loved for him to have gotten Everton back to that level but the problems at Everton are to be saved for another blog. I'm just going to go out and say how sorry I feel for David Moyes. The guy has an impossible task.


And stop. Death breath. I can feel myself going off on another rant. Right, time to wrap this up. The Odeon is calling me so I best get my shit together, grab a quick shower, possibly a KFC, and get myself to the cinema.


And that was the end of his first blog...