[Review] Cop Car
In the opening scene of Cop Car, writer/director Jon Watts establishes the two different worldviews that make his film a compelling thriller. There's the child world and the adult world. The child world is one of fantasy and games without consequences. Friends Travis (James Freedson-Jackson) and Harrison (Hays Wellford) have run away from home, and they think they can survive on their own with just a Slim Jim and their ability to curse without repercussions. The adult world, by contrast, is one of violence, manipulation, and murder. But Travis and Harrison don't know that yet. They will soon.
Cop Car's demarcation between the child world and adult world is so pronounced that it's almost like a fairy tale. Rather than crossing the village border for the dark woods, our nine-year-old runaways crawl past a barbed wire fence. Eventually they find an abandoned cop car and take it for a joy ride. Had Travis and Harrison not stumbled onto the cop car, they probably would have given up running away and been back with their respective parents by sundown. Instead, they wind up deep into the ugly adult world where it's unlikely that they'll make it through the night.
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Cop Car
Director: Jon Watts
Rating: R
Release Date: August 7, 2015
Cop Car has a lot in common with Coen Brothers thrillers like Blood Simple and No Country for Old Men. There's also a strong vibe of Jeremy Saulnier's lo-fi 2014 revenge movie Blue Ruin. Regular people wind up way over their heads in an uncontrollable situation, and they're forced to deal with it to survive. There's this black comedy that comes from confrontations with one's own ineptitude (or inflated sense of ability) during life or death situations. With the two child leads, there's this childlike sense of "No way!" when they steal the cop car and drive off, a kind of young incredulity about the unchecked freedom of adulthood. They speed, they drive on the wrong side of the road, they play with guns, they think they're invincible.
Then in comes Kevin Bacon, who plays Sheriff Kretzer, the cop whose car was stolen. Kretzer's shady backstory gets revealed slowly but not fully as the film unfolds. Watts is smart not to provide all the details and instead just gives enough pieces for the audience to reconstruct his crimes. It makes the world of Cop Car feel more lived-in. Like the child runaway plot and fairy tales, we're familiar with this kind of dirty-cop story too.
The kids think they're in control but wind up losing it. Kretzer's got the opposite arc of control, and spends early parts of Cop Car helplessly trying to cover his own ass with the people at police dispatch. There's something comically Benny Hill-ish about him running panicked through a open field when he can't find the car; you can almost hear an internal monologue of "oh crap, oh crap, oh crap" with each stride. On top of that, something about the mustache and his posture makes Kretzer look like a side character from Super Troopers. Yet Krezter is a good improviser, and he knows how to use the system to his advantage.
Bacon imbues Kretzer with a wolf-like menace. His desperation makes him seem like some raging animal in a frenzy, but he becomes more refined as the situation becomes clearer and he sees an opportunity to re-take control. When he's finally able to talk to the boys over the police radio, there's this stern, authoritative quality to Bacon's voice that conveys a clenching fist and gnashed teeth and a loaded gun. The Krezter character and Bacon's performance are rooted in the black comedy of sudden ineptitude and black-hearted desperation.
In addition to the child world being subsumed by the adult world, there's also an interesting inversion of dominance going on between Travis and Harrison. Travis seems more like the leader of the two boys. The smaller of the two, he's recklessly brave, more vocal, willing to drop and f-bomb and play mischief maker during their dalliance with running away. Yet as the situation becomes more dangerous and the boys find themselves deep in danger, Travis' young bravery recedes and Harrison needs to find a way to assume the lead.
Watts proves a capable director of actors as well as action, controlling his shots and dialing back extraneous sounds to get the maximum dread and tension from a moment. I found it surprising that he was tapped to direct the Spider-Man reboot for Marvel Studios, though. Nothing about Cop Car screams, "This guy is a perfect fit for Spider-Man." (With great Cop Car moments comes great responsibility?)
It seems like part of a pattern of promising indie directors being handed the reins to major studio tentpoles. Think Marc Webb on The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel, Colin Trevorrow doing Jurassic World, and Josh Trank on Fantastic Four. It's a bit of a surprising trend, one that gives fledgling directors big breaks but may also break their spirits given the creative compromises required to work on a major studio film. As noted in our Ant-Man review, the MCU films are producer/studio-driven rather than director-driven. The cynical part of me thinks that studios believe these indie directors will be more compliant, that they're starving for the breakout hit and will do whatever they're told. That's not always the case. Selma director Ava DuVernay was offered Marvel's Black Panther but passed due to creative differences.
The worst thing that could happen to Watts on Spider-Man is reducing him to a journeyman director, draining him of his talent simply to deliver a competent film on time. I want to go back to Watts' debut, a 2014 horror film called Clown, to see what else his abilities suggest he's capable of. Cop Car makes me want more original work in Watts' future. One hopes his big-studio adventure over the barbed wire fence goes well.
John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein to Write Spider-Man Reboot
The Spider-Man reboot finally has screenwriters, and they're a formidable duo. Following the announcement of Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Jon Watts as the director comes news that the writing duo of John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein will be handling script duties. The two have written Horrible Bosses, Horrible Bosses 2, and are making their directorial debut with this summer's Vacation.
Back when the purported shortlist of directors for Spider-Man was released, Daley and Goldstein were present. In fact, the duo was my personal favorite to direct the film. To have them involved in the project is a great sign for the film. As anyone who has seen Horrible Bosses and/or Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 can attest, Daley and Goldstein have a great handle on modern comedy and pop culture.
With everybody in place, we can expect to hear a plethora of rumors pertaining to the plot in the months to come. And you know what? I can't wait.
[via Deadline]
Marisa Tomei Cast as Aunt May in Spider-Man Reboot
In a surprising (but delightful) move, Sony and Marvel have tapped the lovely Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny, The Wrestler) to play Aunt May in the upcoming Spider-Man reboot opposite Tom Holland. While nothing official has been announced, Variety is reporting that the two studios offered the role to Tomei last week.
Aunt May has traditionally been depicted as the older, wise maternal figure in young Peter Parker's life. However, the Ultimate Spider-Man version of the character depicted her as a bit more "street smart" and not as fragile or naive as her counterpart. Ideally, Tomei's Aunt May will be more like the Ultimate Spider-Man version. Tomei doesn't necessarily fit what most are used to as the "Aunt May-type," as can be seen by the online backlash from the comic book community. However, as both a comic and film fanatic, I'd love to see what Tomei can bring to the role and for the Spider-Man reboot to shed the cobwebs (hurr hurr) off of what we've already grown accustomed to to establish a new status quo for this now third reboot of the Spider-Man film franchise.
This'll be an interesting career move for Tomei. The actress typically opts for dramatic roles, my favorite of which was Pam in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler. Depending on the writer Sony and Marvel find for the film (they haven't found/announced one just yet), this could be the best depiction of Spider-Man on the big screen yet.
[via Variety]
Marvel and Sony Find Their Spider-Man Actor and Director
Well, color me surprised.
Three weeks after Marvel and Sony reportedly shortened their list of prospective Spider-Man stars and directors, the studios just released a joint statement naming Tom Holland and Jon Watts as their next Spider-Man lead and director, respectively. This comes months after a series of screen tests that included such names as Asa Butterfield (Ten Thousand Saints), Judah Lewis (Point Break), Matthew Lintz (Pixels), Charlie Plummer (Boardwalk Empire), and Charlie Rowe (Red Band Society), while the directors in consideration included Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies), Ted Melfi (St. Vincent), and the duo of John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein (Vacation).
Watts was a dark horse candidate that was added to the shortlist earlier this month despite after not being named in the first rumored short list. The new director is hot off the heels of his directorial debut, Cop Car, which received praise at this year's Sundance Film Festival where it premiered.
The selections are a bit surprising, considering Marvel Studios' penchant for signing big name actors and directors to their films. However, both Marvel and Sony are confident in growing with the two. Sony's Tom Rothman released a statement about the hirings, stating:
It’s a big day here at Sony. Kevin, Amy and their teams have done an incredible job. The Marvel process is very thorough, and that’s why their results are so outstanding. I’m confident Spider-Man will be no exception. I’ve worked with a number of up-and-coming directors who have gone on to be superstars and believe that Jon is just such an outstanding talent. For Spidey himself, we saw many terrific young actors, but Tom’s screen tests were special. All in all, we are off to a roaring start.
Spider-Man isn't scheduled to hit theaters until July 28, 2017, but he's rumored to make his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Captain America: Civil War, which will be coming to theaters on May 6, 2016.
Miles Morales Replaces Peter Parker as Spider-Man
Yesterday, news broke that Miles Morales will replace Peter Parker as Marvel Comics' official Spider-Man following the end of their current Secret Wars event in the adjective-less Spider-Man written by Miles co-creators Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli. This comes four years after Morales' debut alongside vocal communities calling for Miles to become the de facto Spider-Man across the board. However, this doesn't mean Peter will disappear entirely. While he'll be hanging up the webs for the foreseeable future, he'll still be a supporting character in the books, serving a mentor role to young Miles.
The importance of Miles, a bi-racial character with an African-American father and Puerto Rican mother, being elevated as THE Spider-Man in the Marvel Comics comes after a purported leak over the weekend that detailed film depictions of Peter Parker must maintain the status quo of him being a heterosexual caucasian male. However, while the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Comics have shared elements in their respective media, the Marvel Comics world has grown more and more diverse, as I detailed last summer following Sam Wilson being named Captain America. Bendis himself has praised the importance of having a person of color take the mantle of Marvel's most famous and popular character, telling the New York Daily News:
Our message has to be it’s not Spider-Man with an asterisk [...] It’s the real Spider-Man for kids of color, for adults of color and everybody else.
Before long, the long-standing image of superheroes as white, strong-jawed males will be replaced by people of all shapes, sizes, and colors, and Marvel's move to cement Miles as THE Spider-Man is just the next step towards accomplishing this goal. The decision also increases the chances of Miles Morales appearing in future Spider-Man films (assumedly not until after the next wave of Spider-Man films run their course).
Sony Shortens List of Spider-Man Directors, Actors
Over the weekend, Sony screen-tested their list of six actors to portray Peter Parker/Spider-Man in their next wave of films. The actors, which included Asa Butterfield (Ten Thousand Saints, Ender's Game), Tom Holland (Locke), Judah Lewis (Point Break), Matthew Lintz (Pixels), Charlie Plummer (Boardwalk Empire), and Charlie Rowe (Red Band Society), were flown out to Atlanta (not far from the Captain America: Civil War set) to test in front of Sony and Marvel execs.
However, Deadline is reporting that the list has been lowered to two, with Butterfield and Holland seen as the best candidates for the role. Personally, my money is on Butterfield thanks to his experience with big Hollywood films, as well as his great performance at this year's Sundance film, the aforementioned Ten Thousand Saints. What's more, Butterfield is only 17, which gives Sony and Marvel a primetime actor who they can build a multi-film franchise around well into the 2020s.
Deadline is also reporting that the shortlist of Spider-Man directors has been shortened even more, with Warm Bodies director Jonathan Levine and St. Vincent's Ted Melfi at the top of the list. However, another name has surprisingly joined the fray in Cop Car director Jon Watts. Vacation writers/directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein are still in contention, as well. However, at this point, I would bet on Levine getting the nod.
We'll have more for you once Sony and Marvel make their final decisions.
[via Deadline]
10 Badass Superheroines and Supervillains in Comics
Recently, there has been tension in the superhero world over the lack of strong women in comics. While there is a huge gap between the number of men versus women in the comic book world, there are powerhouse superheroines fans seem to phase over. Don’t be fooled, some of the names that you might recognize are bigger in the comic book world than their blockbuster film roles have lead you to think. Regardless of your gender, here are 10 female comic book characters that kick ass harder than their male counterparts.
List of Rumored Spider-Man Directors Released
Spider-Man has always been a humorous character known as much for his wit as his abilities and personal motto. However, despite five films and two actors, the Spider-Man films didn't capture this pivotal aspect of the character. When Marvel Cinematic Universe mastermind Kevin Feige announced future Spider-Man films would be co-handled by Marvel Studios, he made it very apparent that the character's sense of humor would be a focal point for the films.
With the next Spider-Man film scheduled for a 2017 release, Marvel and Sony are rumored to be closing in on a director within the month. Yesterday, a purported shortlist of serious contenders for the director's chair was released, featuring directors known for their comedies.
The list includes Jonathan Levine (50/50, Warm Bodies), Ted Melfi (St. Vincent), Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect), Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre), and John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein (Horrible Bosses 2, Vacation). Of the rumored names, Daley and Goldstein are my personal favorites due to their script work on Horrible Bosses, Horrible Bosses 2, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. However, the most interesting name is Hess, whose work post-Nacho Libre has been lacking. Neither of the rumored directors have much experience with action films, although Levine's Warm Bodies did feature some minor action scenes.
It's likely that a director will be announced around the same time the next Spider-Man/Peter Parker is cast, so expect a lot of Spider-Man-related news over the next month!
[via /Film]