*** Official KICK-ASS Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Sun]

Originally Posted by mattCR

Now that's a good review. I had email from a friend living in London who told me it's the best film they've seen this year. That's good enough for me. I'm there.

I'd ask that friend how many films he's seen this year.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Patrick Sun




I'd ask that friend how many films he's seen this year.

Patrick doesn't like this film which probably means I'll like it then. I'll try to see it either today or tomorrow.





Crawdaddy

 

[Simon Massey]

I have seen quite a few films this year and this one is up there with the best so far - I would expect it to be making my Top 10 at the end of the year

 

[Patrick Sun]

Really? That sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy, though.

The more I think about the film, I like it even less and less. I did read a review by Roger Moore, and he said that none of the actors were on the same page, which is why I felt the tone of the film was scatter-shot and uninvolving. Plus, there were subplots that just robbed the film of momentum (Dave's faux GBFF was just eyerollingly bad), and the development of BD and HG's own backstory rolled out in a non-organic manner. The screenplay just wasn't ready to be shot (even if the director had co-writing credit for the screenplay).

It's dicey to cast such a young girl (Chloe Moretz) in these roles because over the course of filming for a few months, her back teeth (molars, I guess) came in, and she spouted up by about 6 inches in height when you compare Hit Girl in her first scene to her dolled-up schoolgirl outfit scene in the last act, and then her very last scene was filmed earlier because her back teeth were missing once again.

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by Patrick Sun ">[/url]

I did read a review by Roger Moore...[/QUOTE]
Even James Bond didn't like it?

 

[Patrick Sun]

Roger Ebert hated it ever more than 007, Ebert gave it 1 star.

I rarely rank movies as the year rolls along, I just collect the films at the end of the year, and then compile it from my ratings, and for films in one level (like 3 stars, I rank them by how much I want to see it again to arrive at rankings within a level).

I think it's tough to watch the film and not have some kind of a scene between BD and HG to her ease in killing people (even if it's a killed-or-be-killed situation she puts herself in), even if her world view is shaped with some videogame first person shooter point of view buoyed by BD's training and rearing of her.

I mean, the "kewl" kills by HG gets a lot of viewers excited by the footage/scenes, but there's such a lack of humanity in her psychological make-up, it's rather off-putting to watch.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Patrick Sun

Roger Ebert hated it ever more than 007, Ebert gave it 1 star.

I rarely rank movies as the year rolls along, I just collect the films at the end of the year, and then compile it from my ratings, and for films in one level (like 3 stars, I rank them by how much I want to see it again to arrive at rankings within a level).

I think it's tough to watch the film and not have some kind of a scene between BD and HG to her ease in killing people (even if it's a killed-or-be-killed situation she puts herself in), even if her world view is shaped with some videogame first person shooter point of view buoyed by BD's training and rearing of her.

I mean, the "kewl" kills by HG gets a lot of viewers excited by the footage/scenes, but there's such a lack of humanity in her psychological make-up, it's rather off-putting to watch.

Are you kidding me? The whole film is a fantasy spoof of previous over-the-top films with cartoon-type violence and profanity while you're concern that they didn't show her progression to an elite killer.

To be clear here, film appreciation is about expectations being met by what you're viewing. Obviously, you wanted more from this film then it gave you while I got exactly what I wanted from it.

By the way, I had a great time with this film so did the rest of the audience that I viewed it with.




Crawdaddy

 

[Steve Christou]

Yep, Pat Sun took this comic book film far too seriously. What a shame. And is probably still recovering from the shock of seeing a little girl fighting and swearing.

Like Robert says, it's cartoon violence. Glad you guys liked it, the audience I saw it with were laughing and cheering all the way, 2 hours just flew by. I hope it's a hit in the US. We'll find out tomorrow.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Even if I could easily get past the stylized violence for violence's sake in K-A (violence and gruesome stuff doesn't phase me one bit), Hit Girl's killing ability, physical prowess, still required a suspension of disbelief when the film goes to great lengths to inform the audience that they should park their suspension of disbelief at the door because they were going to play it "straight". You don't get to have your cake and eat it too. At times I found myself rooting against Hit Girl at the end, how whacked is that?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Patrick Sun

Even if I could easily get past the stylized violence for violence's sake in K-A (violence and gruesome stuff doesn't phase me one bit), Hit Girl's killing ability, physical prowess, still required a suspension of disbelief when the film goes to great lengths to inform the audience that they should park their suspension of disbelief at the door because they were going to play it "straight". You don't get to have your cake and eat it too. At times I found myself rooting against Hit Girl at the end, how whacked is that?

Whatever dude, sorry it disappointed you.





Crawdaddy

 

[Steve Christou]

But she does get beaten up a bit too Pat, and thrown around like a rag doll, it's not like she's superhuman.

 

[Patrick Sun]

blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah
blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah
blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah

And one squeeze of the neck, she'd been done for, unfortunately some druglords don't like to get their hands *that* dirty, it would seem. *eyes rolling*.

 

[mattCR]

I think if you're looking at this film as a serious follower of the comic genre as we've seen it recently, you're going to be dissappointed. But, if you understand what it is, this is brilliant. This is a real throwin with a period in time, in the mid-90s, when comic books flooded the market with bright, foil covers and insane, over the top violence to sell prints. The violence was zany. The motives weren't very important. What was important was that for the reading audience, the look and the character action had zings and it took the old style of DC and layed it on it's ear.
You had a real shift there, where great books like "Sandman" were making a real impact on one end of the DC universe, you had Marvel ongoing wild over the top one-off super violent takes on thier characters before rushing into the craze of the onslaught saga.

Kick-Ass is basically the answer for that. At every turn it says almost everything Marvel was trying to accomplish and failing miserably at. Since Kick-Ass was written long after the disasters in the Marvel universe, it's was the best way to take several cliches, spin them on there ear, and play a "what if".

Patrick, while I understand you find characters lack motive, or you don't understand how a kid could come to enjoy the killing or acting that way, you have to realize it's not that you suspend disbelief, in a comic book film, they exist in a completely different universe. I find it no harder to believe this world then I do, say, Superman flying around. Or Storm controlling the weather. Or Charles Xavier controlling people. I mean, we had comic books in which kids could become transparent or stretch like goo.

In a lot of ways, sometimes you have to realize when the variables of the world change, what's to say everything doesn't change. I enjoyed "Sky High" a film which was basically kids who had grown up knowing they had super powers or waiting for them to come in, and it was all handled tongue and cheek there.
This is more violent, of course, but I had no problem accepting the premise... anymore then say, a Giant genetically engineered Squid thing terrorizing manhattan as a conclusion to "The Watchmen". I'll see it later tonight, but my expectations are pretty high. (I'll go to a midnight show when the kids are asleep)

 

[mattCR]

Originally Posted by Patrick Sun

blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah
blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah
blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah

And one squeeze of the neck, she'd been done for, unfortunately some druglords don't like to get their hands *that* dirty, it would seem. *eyes rolling*.

of course not. Villains have to monologue and do the ridiculous. That's kind of the whole point of this. I mean, Lex Luther has repeatedly had access to kryptonite in the comics and films, and yet, has he ever manage to do more then monologue and blow his opportunities, unable to kill the man of steel?

Batman was openly exposed several times in the comics throughout the years, without going too convoluted (it was tried but repeatedly incredibly convoluted and bad) did anyone actually go through the issue of fighting a proxy war with him for his company, etc?

The comic book world is filled with good guys who often get away too easy, and villains who monologue.
It's what makes "Dr. Horrible's Sing A Long Blog" and Pixar's "The Incredibles" fantastic in that they poke fun of it in the other way, by pointing out that if it was played this way eventually the villain would win OR superheros would do enough damage to make themselves not so heroic.. ever see them chase down batman after any of the films for his damage to the roadways and the cost to the tax base?

But those films went one direction; if Kick-Ass stays true to the comics, it goes the other way. It takes all of the crazy stereotypes of the comics and overplays every one of them so that it is clear how ridiculously silly they are, and yet, it says "why not".
If it's a premise you can buy in on, you'll probably have fun. If you were never a big comic book person, maybe not.

I've read the series, and laughed as I recognized a lot of the moments that seemed ripped and slightly twisted from points in other books I loved. And why not? I get that some are really, really going to hate this film. I think this film is going to have a big divide between those who enjoy it and think it's camp, poke at their memories fun, and those who think it is over the top madness with a bad story.
Then again, that too is a poke at the majority of early nineties comics..

 

[Steve Christou]

Plus it's set in an alternate Earth where The Spirit 3 is playing at the theater.

The whole thing is a wink and a nod.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

I guess I'm in the middle. First things first...I mostly dislike Mark Millar as a comic writer. He's a one trick pony. Going for the shock, but never understanding or delving into why it should be shocking. So I saw this for Matthew Vaughn. And his direction delivers. That said, it only really comes alive during the action. But it is pretty incredible action. I managed to easily suspend my disbelief. And was duly rewarded with two brilliantly shot action scenes around a film that couldn't really sustain their momentum. With the exception of Nic Cage, there was no real energy to the non-action scenes. Exceptionally well directed, the film is very ably helped by the music. Several of John Murphy's best material is used (from 28 Days Later and Sunshine), brilliantly I may add. What great music. I wish they had let him write some new stuff for the film, though. That said, the film is a one trick pony. Just like everything Millar scrawls out. Worth seeing for the direction and editing and Cage and Moritz. First movie I've loved Cage in in some time.

 

[Greg.K]

I'm still humming the Banana Splits tune. La la la, la la-la la...

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I really enjoyed this movie. If they make a sequel, I hope they explore the dynamic between Dave Lizewski and Mindy Macready. On one hand, she could kill him without hardly flinching. On the other hand, he's like an older brother and feels the need to watch out for her. On top of all that, her father died because he brought a traitor into their midst. And on top of that, Lizewski's probably the closest thing she has to a friend her own age and almost certainly one of the first people she's met outside of the cocoon that her father had built around them. The idea of Mindy trying to integrate into a semblance of a normal childhood would be a movie I'd be interested in seeing; what happens to the little sociopath once she doesn't have to be a sociopath any more?

 

[Patrick Sun]

Originally Posted by Greg Kettell

I'm still humming the Banana Splits tune. La la la, la la-la la...

I wish they'd kept the same editing in the trailer to go along with the song and the 2 guys in the MistMobile.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I didn't read the comic series of K-A because I was aghast at how different the film "Wanted" was when compared to the "Wanted" mini-series, and how the comic series sucked so much more than the film it was "loosely" based upon. If I see K-A in HC or TPB on the shelves of Borders or B&N, I'll flip through it, but sure won't buy it.

I've been a life-long comic reader/buyer, and I "got" some of the callbacks/cliches to the previous decade of stories, but, again, it simply produced a lot of eye-rolling moments for me, so I could just be the old, curmudgeony dude who's had enough blenderized "originality"in his comics to truly last a lifetime.

As a cinematic viewing experience, it's as Chuck pointed out, a rather life-less, bored, staid piece of cinema during the non-action sequences. It failed to engage me as a viewer from a storyline or character perspective, I was left without any characters to invest my viewing time with in this film, that's why it rings so hollow and inert for me.

I mean, somewhere I'm just not getting the love for Hit Girl because she's 11 and can slice through people lower legs, and cuss, and perform gynastics in a hallway while dodging bullets and throwing knifes and slashing arms off, are we that easily entertained? Then again, who am I to complain, I'm loving the hell out of Spartacus: Blood and Sand, even with the horrific stylized violence and gore. But at least that violence is somewhat purposeful to survival without losing one's humanity in the process. Okay, tired of pushing the "dislike" boudler uphill for this particular film today. But still enjoying reading the reactions, good and bad.