http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Wed, 16 May 2007 11:10:00 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/05/16/111000.php Rob SticklerThe Spider-man films have been a real turning point in comic adaptations. While not slavishly sticking to the original storylines, they have kept them in mind, and what has translated most clearly to the screen is the enthusiasm that the production team have for Spider-man and his world.The first film succeeded in laying the foundations for the franchise without dulling its own effect. It was an exciting, fresh film that for the first time took you web swinging through Manhattan and showed you a spider's eye view of New York. The second built on this by developing the regular characters themes and also retelling the sad tale of Otto Octavius; it achieved these aims with aplomb and resulted in an exciting, breathtaking film that quickly joined the limited ranks of sequels that surpass their predecessors.Anticipation for Spider-Man 3 has been high indeed, particularly in my household. It is sad to report then that this latest venture was, while not a failure, certainly not a qualified success. The problem is that the film gives itself too much hard work to do; and in this perhaps Raimi & Co.'s enthusiasm has back-fired. It takes as its subject matter not just Peter's love triangle with MJ and Gwen Stacy, but also the rivalry with Eddie Brock, the creation of Venom and Flint Marko, and the culmination of the ongoing story of Harry Osborn's obsession with destroying Spider-man; who he believes to be responsible for his father's death. If that reads like a long list, it's because it is. Juggling so many strands it's surprising that it manages to spin them together effectively, largely without showing the author's hand. Indeed it is only in the climactic yet improbable team-up of villains that events seem contrived. However, what is less surprising is that none of the listed plots are explored in the depth they deserve. Gwen Stacy is superfluous and the inclusion of her father, a cruel tease for fanboys, is entirely pointless. Mary Jane, at the centre of events and pivotal to the plot, is given less to do than in preceding films and comes across as selfish and whiney. Whilst these can be traits of the character, it does seem unfair on Kirsten Dunst after two strong turns.The Sandman, here with an added sob story tacked on and then forgotten, is a great character who is used only for visual effect and in the already mentioned unlikely team-up with Venom. Eddie Brock is one dimensional, and his fusion with the symbiote suit will make sense only to those who fill in the blanks with their knowledge of the source text. As for the alien itself, it appears to be named only in the end credits and apart from some staggeringly accurate guesses from Dr. Connors (another continued fanboy tease), nothing more is learned about it. A further irritation is that it is destroyed at the end, meaning either an awkward resurrection or no return appearances.Harry Osborn, on the other hand, is given a chance to shine in this outing. Having discovered his fathers secret lair at the close of Spider-Man 2 he has familiarized himself with its contents by the time we rejoin him. His subsequent memory loss after a Spider-man induced head injury allows James Franco to be freed from the dull brooding frown-fest of his last appearance. The scenes when he is painting and making omelettes with Mary Jane are touching, even if you know it can never last. Sure enough, the memory of his father has him back to his evil ways before long. His story and his ultimate redemption are handled well and probably the most satisfying element of the film. Sadly, they do reduce the impact of his final moments by playing them out too long.Tobey Maguire is sympathetic as ever as trouble laden Peter Parker, though he really comes to life in his bad-Peter stint. The jazz cafe dance sequence and his Travolta-ish strutting are hilarious as emo-Parker shows his moves under the spell of the black suit. Maguire can convey more emotion with a look, a stance or a smile than many of his contemporaries could with a monologue.J. Jonah Jameson, The Bugle Staff, Dr. Connors, Mr. Ditkovitch, Ursula, and Bruce Campbell all get beefier appearances than previously, while Aunt May seems a little poorly served. Stan Lee's obligatory appearance is perhaps a little more distracting than usual; 'Nuff said.In summary, the film is very enjoyable. Throughout its mighty running time, it holds the interest. They succeed in tying up most of the threads that have run through the preceding films, yet the ending is underwhelming as Peter is once again left alone while MJ walks away. With the news that Sony intends to produce at least three more films ringing in our ears, there is still plenty of time for Peter and Mary Jane to get married, separated, cloned, and retconned, but it would have been nice to see this trilogy end with these actors playing the parts and their characters united. Sony shouldn't assume that Raimi, Maguire, Dunst, or their supporting cast and crew will stick around forever. Video63968@blogcritics.org Wed, 16 May 2007 11:10:00 EDT