Emo Spidey?

Spider-Man 3 is probably the movie that everyone is looking forward to this summer. However, it does not deliver the way fans would have wanted it to. Although Spider-Man 3 is entertaining, compared to the franchise's previous installments, it just falls flat on its face.
Spider-Man 3 starts out with Peter preparing to propose to Mary Jane, Harry wanting some revenge, and Sandman escaping from prison. Already the plot is overwhelming with multiple villains. For X-Men, multiple villains works, but when it's one hero verse all, it's better to keep it simple. Eventually the highly anticipated Venom, played by Topher Grace, is brought into the story, probably one of the few great parts of the film which is taken directly from the comic book and copied shot for shot. Grace is one of the few in the film that actually did a great acting job, but besides his performance, Spider-Man 3 comes off as the whiny addition of the Spider-Man franchise. Peter is crying over Mary Jane, Harry over his dead father, Sandman over his sick daughter, Mary Jane over her failure as an actress, and Eddie Brock over his pathetic life....see what I'm getting at? In the words of my generation, "stop being so damn emo!" The audience wants to see action, laughs, love and strong heroes...not some whiny baby who used to save the world. And for a movie that's 2.5 hours, the editor should be shunned because there was about 30 minutes of pure crap in the middle which includes Peter Parker with his new emo haircut and all black outfit, dancing down the street (this scene actually made me embarassed for Maguire), which should have been cut. Go figure.
Despite my overall opinion, the one thing that makes this movie decent is the CGI, which is flawless in its execution. The action scenes are stunning and you actually feel as if you have that slow motion Spidey-sense. So props to the visual effects department.

Grade: C+

Super Sequels

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's....the age of the superhero sequel. Films based on comic books seem to be all the rage, and some of the highest grossing movies of the year. But why make one when you can make many. Superman and Batman paved the way for the successful sequel; Superman having four, and Batman having three sequels and most recently one prequel "Batman Begins".
So far there are a whopping 10 sequels set to be released in the next two years. They are: "The Incredible Hulk," "Superman: The Man of Steel," "The Punisher 2," "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," and the more anticipated sequels such as "The Dark Knight" (Batman), "Sin City 2," "Sin City 3," "Spider-man 3"and two X-Men spin offs "Wolverine" and "Magneto."
Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez team up again to direct two more installments to the Sin City saga, both set to release sometime in 2008. "Sin City 2" focuses on Dwight (Clive Owen), our hero from the first film, who is looking for some revenge on a woman who betrayed him, Ava Lord, while Nancy (Jessica Alba) is trying to cope with the death of Hartigan (Bruce Willis). Currently, most of the original cast is set to come back, and it is rumored that Angelina Jolie is possibly being considered for the role of Ava Lord.
The new "Batman" installment, "The Dark Knight," set to come out in 2008, has Christian Bale returning as Batman, and its newest cast member Heath Ledger is set to play the villainous Joker. Ryan Phillippe is a possible choice for the role of Harvey Dent, the newly appointed DA, better known as Two-Face, and Oscar winner, Philip Seymour Hoffman could be our new Penguin.
Probably the most anticipated sequel, let alone the most anticipated film of this year, set to come out May 4, 2007, is "Spider-Man 3." With a spine-tingling trailer that starts out with the tag line "How long can any man fight the darkness before he finds it in himself?" which slowly reveals to us Spider-Man, in a new black costume. Maguire, Dunst, and Franco are all back for this third installment, while Topher Grace ("That 70s Show") and Thomas Haden Church ("Sideways") are new additions. Grace is Eddie Brock, a reporter who holds a grudge against both Peter Parker and Spider-Man, who also becomes the anti-hero, Venom. However, Venom isn't the only villain that Spider-Man is up against, Church plays Flint Marko, or the Sandman, who can turn himself into living sand, is accused of killing Uncle Ben. Possibly leading our hero over to the dark side? But it seems that "the greatest battle lies within" and Peter Parker's real nemesis is himself. Dealing with new villains, his new dark powers and the lust for revenge, he is also faced with new temptations. It appears that our Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) has some competition for Peter Parker's heart, with Gwen Stacy, who is played by Bryce Dallas Howard, who you might know as the blind girl in M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village."
"Spider-Man 3," without a doubt, will break box office records with its third installment coming out this summer. We can only wait and see if "Spider-Man 3" can actually live up to its hype.

Some sites to check out:

DC Comics

Frank Miller: The Complete Works

Marvel.com