Movie Review

Movie Review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKFLrTYKIXk

Sin City is one of my all time favorite movies. Sin City was released in 2005 and was written, produced and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. It’s based on Miller’s graphic novel series of the same name.   The movie emulates the style of the book with unique black and white color processing with few significant objects appearing in color. The film has an all star cast who’s characters are all unique, meaningful and most of all fun to watch.

Sin City follows three male protagonists in the crime ridden and sinful city of Basin City.  Bruce Willis is cast as John Hartigan, an aging police detective (one of the few good cops)who risks everything to save a little a girl from a serial rapist.  Mickey Rourke is cast as Marv, a veteran with questionable sanity and a lust for revenge against the killer of his one-time sweetheart. Clive Owen is cast as Dwight, the mysterious protector of a town inhabited by independent prostitutes.  The first two performances, stand out the most to me however.

The performances by the three mentioned actors are superb.  You want Bruce Willis to save the girl because you begin to respect the good person he tries to be in a nearly lawless city. He never stops or hesitates to do the right thing no matter how bad he is mutilated and punished by Basin City. He doesn’t care what he has to do or what he has to lose, he will be the knight in shining armor.

Mickey Rourke’s performance as Marv is fantastic as well.  Even though he is arguably a ravaging psycho killer I began to care for his cause as i get to know him. When he is not dismembering criminals in pursuit of his Goldie, he’s the average joe. He drinks a little, he’s self conscience (of his scarred face and body), he visits the occasional strip club, he’s a gentleman and he can be quite the friend.  What I found most remarkable is that he was really convincing as a comic book character. He was quite enjoyable to watch.

Art Review

Art Review

I f****** love comic books. I have spend a great deal of my life trying to read as many as possible and know as much about them as possible. My comic book knowledge can put some nerds to shame (don’t know whether should I be proud or sad of that myself) They have been the major influence on my decision to pursue art throughout my life with the hopes of making my own someday.

My favorite artist is Frank Quietly  (his pen name) who is a Scottish comic book artist. His real name is Vincent Deighan (born 1968).He may sound familiar to people who read comic books. He worked with phenomenal DC writer Grant Morrison on many groundbreaking projects.  Morrison and Quietley teamed up to reinvent the X-men for a modern audience in New X-men, humanize Superman  and recapture his extremely sci-fi roots in All Star Superman, and reveal an all new dynamic duo in Batman and Robin. These books are some of my all time favorites because of  Morrison’s deep understanding of comic book mythology and gift of intricate storytelling and character and Quietly’s  unorthodox  and iconic style.
http://www.liveforfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/all-star-superman.jpg

This piece is from All Star Superman. When I look at his art the first thing I usually notice is his choice in color. The shades of light blue, blue, light red and dark red are not only perfect choices but they are not the outlandish and unbelievable colors often seen in the costumes of superheroes.  Also his sense of detail is remarkable. From the shadows casted by the falling sheets of paper to barely noticeable reflections of superman’s red and blue costume in the glass everything is there.

What the image is representing as well is also amazing. In this picture, Superman is depowered, hiding and forced to rely on a gun to defend himself against a super powered Lex Luthor. That may not seem  like much but after analysis of what that means you realize how amazing the picture. Superman, the most powerful being on the planet, is now facing desperation and perhaps fears of death or the deaths of others.   This accomplishes 2 things, An intensly dramatic situation- if superman is facing desperation, that says something on how dire the situation truly is and the personification of Superman who was once regarded as difficult to relate to but now he is seen feeling desperation and fear like we do.

http://www.jollygoodshow.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/batman-and-robin-12.jpg

This is piece from Batman and Robin (Batman Vs Robin) Again notice his choice in color.  The iconic but not too bright colors of both superheroes contrast of each other nicely. Also Quitely’s sense of detail can be seen in little things like the different types of texture throughout their costumes and the stitches in  the young and new Batman’s  cowl that may have had altered to fit him or that his costume has been battle damaged due to  his inexperience.

This image is representing something amazing as well. In this picture, the former Robin Dick Grayson has become the new Batman and he is fighting his Robin, Damian Wayne the spoiled and illegitimate son of Bruce Wayne.  These are fresh perspectives on iconic characters. Dick Grayson was the former Robin and he replaced Bruce Wayne. He is a more human and more liked Batman and Quitley expressed this by replacing Batman’s usual black primary with a more friendlier blue and giving him a less intimidating body type from than Bruce Wayne.  This Robin was not the Robin Dick was. He is brash, rude, and impulsive and condones the use of lethal force.  This dynamic duo is not the one we are familiar with. Damian does not even see Dick as an equal let alone a partner. They always fight and they compete and this unique comic book relationship is depicted perfectly in this image.