Just ahead of THE SPIRIT’s opening day, director Frank Miller is supposedly “eyeing” Buck Rogers, which could be alarming or exciting, depending on how you look at it. Odd Lot, the production shingle which made THE SPIRIT, is negotiating for BUCK ROGERS, which is controlled by longtime Miller pal Flint Dille.
Miller will write and direct his own big-screen take on the comic serial; while the creator has only begun to sketch ideas, it’s expected to be a darker take, with many of Miller’s signature visual elements and themes, such as corruption and redemption.
It’s likely to be a priority project for Miller, though he has been mulling a “Sin City” sequel.
To be honest, having seen THE SPIRIT, “darker” is not a word we’d apply to it, despite many night-time scenes and “Sin City” visual elements. It is, like ALL-STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN THE BOY WONDER, more of a broad, broad satire, whose humor is either deliberately outrageous and campy or deliberately infuriating. Early reviews of THE SPIRIT are, well, less than thrilled, although most allow that it looks good.
“The Spirit,” graphic artist Frank Miller’s first solo effort as a director after sharing credit with Robert Rodriguez on 2005’s adaptation of his own “Sin City,” has a single redeeming feature. It illustrates the limitations of the comic-book aesthetic on the big screen.
If we didn’t realize this before, it’s now clear: Movies must obey the immutable laws of cinema and cannot unfold like so many moving panels. For all its bold digital drawings, a comic-book movie must observe the narrative rhythms, scene construction, character development and dialogue delivery that cinema has honed for more than a century.
On the plus side, the premiere on Wednesday looks like it was pretty swell!
Has The Beat seen “The Spirit”? Did I miss a review? What did you think? Spill. Please.
I remember Frank Miller did at least one cover for the TSR Comics Buck Rogers series way back when.
What the Buck? Say it ain’t so.
I’m the Goddamn Twiki.
Why do I expect this to play like Miller’s Lance Blastoff short stories?
Not a judgment, mind you…that’s just the first thing that I thought of.
My planet screams.
I saw the first test audience screening of The Spirit this past August here in Vegas and I’m sorry to say that it was awful on ever level. I would have been alright with it being not like the comic if it was entertaining in its own right, but no such luck – I couldn’t believe how bad it was. I didn’t think it even looked good visually – nothing interesting was done with the Sin City visual style. I don’t even think The Spirit movie is fun to goof on like All Star Batman is.
I’ve always wondered with movies that are this bad, how the people (stars, director, etc.) who made the film are able to continue to put on a positive face during pre-release? Sure they are more connected to the project / movie so maybe they truly can’t be objective, but I also think that there’s so much money involved in these movies that they have to put on their good face even if they did feel that the end result wasn’t as good as they’d hoped when they first started said project.
It’s also true that a creator isn’t going to hit it out of the park every time at bat on every project, but Miller’s last few projects haven’t really clicked with his audience (All Star Batman, which a lot of people are buying for the Jim Lee art and to watch the train wreck unfold and Dark Knight Strikes Again was panned almost across the board), so if the bad reviews come in from all sectors for The Spirit as I suspect they will, his Buck Rogers won’t happen.
Please stop Frank Miller before he films again.
Think of the children!
at least wait until the Spirit goes…..
until then, Miller is no movie director with any sort of chops for the role. we don’t need another dark, all bluescreen movie for goodness sakes!
Gil Gerard forever, Frank Miller never!
Since the SPIRIT doesn’t open until next week, H. is probably holding her review until then.
Also, I think maybe the Beat may be too close to Frank to give a really objective review. Don’t mean to offend Heidi, but I assume everyone would be the same when publicly judging a friend’s work.
Someone please PLEASE stop Frank Miller. For every brick that comics knocks down in the “real” world, Frank stacks on up. Seriously. For every Persopolis movie, Frank does a Spirit (or Robocop 2 anyone?) or makes a cringing appearance on NPR and reassures Joe Public that their prejudices against comics are justified.
I’m not sure what the reviews for ‘300’ were upon review, but regardless this film in the same vein as that one — cool visuals and attitude, NOT storytelling or acting.
The questions that remain are whether or not Miller can pull it off as well Snyder, and whether the public will buy it.
Frank has done for The Spirit what George Lucas did for Howard the Duck.
“It is, like ALL-STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER”
So does that mean Denny Colt lets slip out the C word in front of all his female co-stars every time he gets overpowered or bound & gagged by them?
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Coat
How about a Martha Washington movie?
I am going to see it this week. only opinion i trust is my own…with any film.
The reviews I’ve read, pretty much, indicate this movie is horrible. Any surprises there? I actually haven’t read any positive reviews. One reviewer compared it to Battlefield Earth, in terms of how awful it was. I have a feeling, we will find out very quickly, that Frank’s name, will no longer be associated with the Buck Rogers film. In fact, I’m betting this is the last time we will see his name as director attached to any film. Poor Gabriel Macht, do you think he’ll ever work again? Do you think he’ll hold a grudge against “fedora man?” If Will Eisner was alive, Frank might have been responsible for killing his career also. Let’s be thankful for the little things.
Who do you think really directed Sin City? It brings more clarity to that mystery. I’m glad I can save my money, maybe I’ll see that little Benjamin Button movie instead. What’s the smallest opening ever recorded? I think we are about to find out!
Not only am I happy that this movie is getting bad reviews, I hope it is a huge flop at the box office. Elitist,self righteous,and hypocritical artsy fartsy comic book creators like Miller, who has had his head gassed up by elitist comic fans and comic creators, need to be stopped and knocked down a peg or two.
Just because Miller (and some other comic book creators) have been praised by comic fans and critics for his “cinematic style” and/or for writing a comic book story like a movie script, DOES NOT mean that he can (a) write a good movie script or (b) will be a good director. ROBOCOP 2 and 3, and THE SPIRIT movie are proof of this.
“Elitist,self righteous,and hypocritical artsy fartsy comic book creators like Miller, who has had his head gassed up by elitist comic fans and comic creators, need to be stopped and knocked down a peg or two.”
I hope The Spirit movie has lines as awesome as this one.
It’s hard to be objective when you have to kiss up to your idols. There can be no unbiased “reporting” from people in love with comics and their creators wouldn’t you agree, Tom. I want to hear from someone who actually liked the movie, and the reasons why. I mean, besides relatives of Frank Miller.
: (
great
at least two superhero movies i used to dream about as a child that i get to boycott in the new year
Wait… Miller’s “artsy fartsy”?
“it’s expected to be a darker take,”
Screw “darker takes”!!! Was “Iron Man” dark? Was “Incredibles”? Were any of the three Spider-man movies?
There’s a movie out there called “Fireproof”. It’s a Christian themed movie that’s had NO budget and NO advertising and it’s pulled in $32 mil. That’s nearly four times what “The Punisher” made. (I say “made” because it’s already gone from our local theaters.)
IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE DARK!!!!!
“it’s expected to be a darker take,”
Screw “darker takes”!!! Was “Iron Man” dark? Was “Incredibles”? Were any of the three Spider-man movies?
There’s a movie out there called “Fireproof”. It’s a Christian themed movie that’s had NO budget and NO advertising and it’s pulled in $32 mil. That’s nearly four times what “The Punisher” made. (I say “made” because it’s already gone from our local theaters.) It doesn’t have to be dark.
IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE DARK!!!!!
Frank Miller is starting to look a little bit like Leonard Nimoy, specially in that second photo.
There’s no need to insult Leonard Nimoy.
There’s a Spirit trailer on the new Dark Knight dvd. I found it to be almost incomprehensible.
I hope the finished movie is better. I think I’ll hang back a bit for the reviews, and see what others think of spending $10 to see Spirit: The Miller Movie.
There is a Spirit trailer on the Dark Knight DVD???? Al, are you sure you’re not confusing it with Watchmen?? Can you tell me where you found it?
I don’t think Warner Bros would go out of their way to advertise a film from a rival studio.
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Coat
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