Spiderman 3 (or, Spiderman just fuck off)

Last night I was unlucky enough to catch a media screening of the year's first big budget disappointment. Who organises a media screening the night before the movie opens nationally? A distribution company who wants to minimise bad press, that's who.

I loved the other instalments of Spiderman but this one drops the ball so completely that it is laughable. Raimi's latest offering is so threadbare, it makes other comic book films look like Citizen Kane. You know the story, Peter is in love but self-obsessed, MJ is in love but-self pitying and Harry is in love but Peter-obsessed. Add two new villans and a new love interest but don't bother stirring.

There is so much crammed into Spiderman 3 that no time has been left to develop the characters motivations beyond the perfunctory stereotypical response to stimuli. The film pretty much runs itself. It is the tried and true superhero defeats villain, but not really, back he comes - three times over set against a turgid love story. Yawn.

Sorry if this sounds venomous (bad choice of words) but Spiderman 3 just does not deliver. Unfortunately the have greenlit another sequel. Please, please, please don't see this one, it only encourages them.

Daredevil (or, I wish I were blind)

I borrowed the dvd of Daredevil from Glen about, well, long enough back for him to forget I even have it, I'm sure. Actually, I didn't even know that I had it until I returned to Australia to find it snuggled in my tubs of dvds. I borrowed it because when I saw it in the cinema I fell asleep. When I tried to watch it on dvd, I fell asleep. I tried to watch it again and fell asleep.

I've always wanted to see it. I always fall asleep. That has to be somewhat telling.

I watched it again yesterday and found out something even more telling: I have seen Daredevil all the way through. I have seen it all the way through and it still didn't make enough of an impression on me for me to recall that I had seen it.

Why did I persevere? Jennifer Garner. (That reads, Jennifer Garner FULL STOP, by the way!)

I like comic book films and Daredevil came with such good press, pre-release. A dark comic book film. A solid comic book film. No... it was just another lightweight, watered down, connect the dots, crap comic book film.

I'll drop the dvd back to you, Glen. Post haste!