an icepick through the keyhole

Watched Iron Man last night. Possibly the most enjoyable super-hero movie Marvel has ever put out, and right up there in my top three super-hero movies, period, next to Superman II and Spider-Man 2. It does pretty much what I've always said about adapting comic books and icons to the screen — you don't have to be word-perfect faithful (and, in fact, you probably don't want to be... case in point, Daredevil), you just have to be able to get the character enough to show us what he's all about.

And Favreau did good. He hewed as close to the origin as he could and still make it up to date, and kept the action and big explosions going along at a good enough clip so that the two hours just flew by. Of course, the biggest credit has to go to Robert Downey, Jr., who played Stark with the right combination of arrogance, self-righteousness and vulnerability that is the essence of the comic book character. What helps of course is the good humour that permeates the script, allowing the audience much more empathy with Stark than, say, we had with Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins, which wins points on awesome but loses to Iron Man in terms of heart (no pun intended, given Tony's condition). But then, that's always been one of the dividing lines between DC and Marvel.

Marvel Studios acquitted itself very nicely with this first foray. Here's hoping The Incredible Hulk will similarly measure up. Now, I want the toys.

Last evening, I pitched The Wire to a friend of mine who hadn't heard of the show. Again. I've been pimping this television show ever since I started watching it a couple of years ago, and I've been eagerly waiting the start of its fifth and final season next month, even if it's tinged with sadness at the prospect of saying good-bye to these characters.

But I've been down this road before with David Simon: I said good-bye years ago to a bunch of equally beloved characters on Homicide: Life on the Street, which was based on Simon's seminal work of police reportage Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, based on the time he spent attached to - the word, I guess now would be "embedded" - with the Baltimore Police Homicide Department in 1988. The book is one I keep returning to like an old friend, ever since I first read it in 1992 while studying for my law degree in London. Its exegesis on the right to silence and the Miranda warning's role in police interrogations is still one of the finest and most entertaining pieces of writing I've ever read.

Homicide was a cop show, but one deeply rooted in reality in its portrayal of the thinking detectives that speak for the dead when nobody else can: their flaws, their intelligence, their ideals, their cynicism, their black and bitter humour, and most of all their humanity. No matter how bleak the subject matter gets, you are compelled to watch because in Simon's world, the characters have their own kind of integrity. Even the immoral ones are fascinating because they stick to their own kind of twisted reality. "A man must have a code," as Bunk Moreland profoundly notes in The Wire.

As good as Homicide was (and far superior to its slicker and more soap-ish cousin NYPD Blue, and I'm willing to take anybody on to prove it), The Wire is so much better because, being on HBO, it allows Simon to take the gloves off. Not all the way, though: if he really held a mirror up to the real situation, it'd be way too depressing. So he pulls back just enough so it's still palatable, but what remains is still resoundingly real. Still, The Wire isn't a ratings success and even though it's critically acclaimed, it's never won an Emmy. Critics describe it the same way they did Homicide, which staggered along for 7 (well, closer to 5.5) seasons: the best show on television you're not watching.

The Wire is a visual novel, each chapter building on itself, until the story threads come together at the end of each season. In this regard, it's one of those shows that are made for DVD, which allows you to take it in hour by hour instead of having to wait week by week. The first season starts off looking like a cop show - about the drug war as waged on the Baltimore streets - but it starts catching your attention because it shows you the battle from both perspectives, the cops as well as the dealers, and the subtle parallels in their organizations start to catch you eye. By the end of the first season you realize that it's not just about the cops, or the drugs, but it's about Baltimore, and in a much larger sense, it's about cities and most of all institutions, and how similar and fucked up they all are, cop or dealer, politician or educator... as Simon puts it, it's "really about the American city, and about how we live together. It's about how institutions have an effect on individuals, and how... whether you're a cop, a longshoreman, a drug dealer, a politician, a judge [or] lawyer, you are ultimately compromised and must contend with whatever institution you've committed to."

Over the next three seasons, the show covers the docks of Baltimore, the politicos and land developers shaping the city, and the broken education system of inner city schools. Next year, they will cover the media. And through it all, the authentic voice of Baltimore, uncompromising, relentless, comes through. The Wire is a show that demands its audience pay attention; it practically requires it if you want to follow it at all. Thankfully, its rich cast of characters and character actors make it easy, even if the crap they go through will break your heart several times each season. It's also one of the most quotable shows in recent memory.

So for those of you who haven't been watching this show - run, don't walk to the Netflix queue or local equivalent. It's only 13 hours each season, and trust me, it's worth it. The DVDs are expensive as a set, but I think it's well worth the price for what you're getting. And if I like you enough, and are within easy reach, I might be persuaded to part with my boxed sets temporarily.

10 more episodes, and The Wire is done. I can't wait to see what Simon comes up with next - a miniseries based on the book Generation Kill, about an embedded reporter's experiences in Iraq - and thereafter a still gestating project about New Orleans and the jazz scene.

For more information on The Wire, check out this good New Yorker article from October about David Simon.

I hope everyone had a happy Christmas and will have an equally joyous New Year.

I finished watching the last episode of The 4400's third season last night. I know that there's one more season that just finished, but it's not out on DVD and I never watched the show until about a month ago. When the series debuted back in 2004, I had a couple of people recommend it, but I didn't want to get invested in yet another television show, especially since I was already wastingspending so much time watching television and had a thesis to figure out. But, having been recommended it once again recently, and realizing that many of the guiding minds behind it were people whose work I had enjoyed — specifically Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe, who had also worked on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine back in the day — I decided to give it a shot. Also, the fact that the series was divided into bite-sized chunks helped: 6 episodes for the first season and 12 episodes for each season after that.

And so I got the DVDs, and watched it, and it's good. It's very good. On the one hand I regret not getting into the show earlier, but on the other hand I'm glad I'm watching it at one go because it's a very arc-heavy show, and good enough that I would have really hated waiting week after week, let alone between seasons. As it is, I'm wondering what Season 4 would be like, even though I kinda sorta know the story for that season already, and am waiting for an announcement for a Season 4 DVD set.

For those who still haven't watched the show and don't know what it's about, the premise is this: over the last six decades, four thousand, four hundred people are abducted by forces unknown. On a fall day in 2004, a comet streaks towards Earth... except it's not a comet, and instead of whacking into the planet and destroying all life, it slows down, changes course, and heads for a lake in Mount Rainer National Park, Washington. The big glowing ball explodes in a flash of light, leaving behind four thousand, four hundred people, all having not aged a day, with no idea of where they've been all these years. Things start getting complicated when one of the returnees — who are quickly dubbed "the 4400" — develops extra-human abilities. And that's just the beginning.

( Spoilers follow, and some reflections on Heroes )

( The 4400 vs. Heroes. Semi-spoilers for Season 2 as well. )

Bottom line about The 4400: Great show, good cast, good characterization, and the way ensemble science-fiction shows should be done... which is not surprising, considering who's behind the show. Thank you, Ira Steven Behr. It's not without its flaws: sometimes the arc kind of meanders and you're not always given sensible answers to questions that are raised, and some things are inexplicably dropped without explanation, and sometimes you get the impression of hasty improvisation behind the scenes. But, I still give it a thumbs up. If you haven't watched the show before, I'd suggest getting a hold of Season 1 and seeing if it's your cup of tea before getting a hold of Seasons 2 and 3. But be warned that, as I've said, the show reinvents itself (sort of) every season. But in a good way.

Comic book recommendation of the week: The Immortal Iron Fist #8

Now, I don't know if you've been reading this regular dose of awesome from Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction and David Aja, but if you harbour any affection for kung fu movies, you've got to pick this up. Brubaker has taken Iron Fist and very effectively expanded his mythology while still staying true to what has gone before. And upped the kung fu quotient several hundred percent. This is what Iron Fist would be like if directed by John Woo and Lau Kar-Leung, or the closest thing to it you'll find in American comics today. And honestly, when you get pretty much a kick in the face every issue, what's there not to like?

The first six issues had Danny Rand meet Orson Randall, the Iron Fist of World War I, discover that there had been sixty-six Iron Fists before him, and that his role as an immortal weapon is part of a larger game being played by K'un Lun, the mystical city that turns out to be just one of Seven Capital Cities of Heaven. The story also has my single favourite page of the last year, one that makes me smile every time I look at it; pay attention to the Hydra soldiers realizing they are well and truly fucked.

( Holy crap... )

Anyway, #8 starts the next arc and picks up with Danny in K'un Lun. Turns out that every eighty-eight years, the Seven Capital Cities have this martial arts tournament that decides the winning city's place in the celestial clockwork, and the Iron Fist is K'un Lun's champion. Orson Randall refused to participate the last time, and kinda screwed things up, so Danny can't really shirk his responsibility now. This issue is worth picking up just to see Fat Cobra, another immortal weapon and the Tortoise champion (Danny's the Dragon), do this to 100 Shaolin Terror Priests (yes, you heard me):

( SUMO THUNDER STOMP! )

And shout it out as he does so.

Next month: Danny vs. Fat Cobra. Seriously, if you haven't glommed on to this one yet, pick up the hardcover of The Immortal Iron Fist: The Last Iron Fist Story and then go on from there. Less talking, more kicking.

Well, I liked it, overall. Martha comes into her own, the Doctor and his um, adversary's relationship gets some much needed intensity, but...

( Spoilery comments )

*wibble*

Re: Human Nature / The Family of Blood

I think we have another Hugo nomineewinner here.

Just watched the pilot episode of Raines, the new detective drama starring Jeff Goldblum. It's done by Graham Yost, who's responsible for Speed, Broken Arrow and Hard Rain. Not a stirring resume, I admit, but then again, he's also done Band of Brothers, Herman's Head and Boomtown, so there's good days and bad days, and he's evidently better at television.

Raines revolves around Michael Raines, an LAPD detective who can see dead people. Well, not literally — he hallucinates them, and talks with them in an attempt to solve the case. In essence, it's not unlike the idea of a detective personalizing a victim and understanding them as an investigative aid, except that in Raines's case, it's not behind the eyes but right in front of them.

So, yeah, it's another quirky detective show, but I've always been fond of Goldblum, and the film noir-ish personality of Raines and the drawling delivery reminiscent of Jimmy Stewart appeals to me. And I'm so glad that this has absolutely no supernatural elements, and Raines himself is aware of that. On top of that, you've got two of my favourite babes in the mix, Nicole Sullivan and Linda Park, and you've got my attention for a while. The pilot wasn't bad, and I'm interested to see how they manage to sustain the premise for a whole series. Giving this one a shot.

[x-posted to Vox]

So, I just watched Casino Royale, a.k.a. Bond Begins. No, not really, but that's what people are calling it and it's rather appropriate. On the whole, it was an okay Bond movie, but that's ultimately when you tally up the points on the scorecard. It certainly was better than the excruciating Die Another Day, which managed to combine a huge budget with an inane story, but to say that about Casino Royale is to simply damn it with faint praise.

At about two and a half hours, it's certainly the longest Bond film I've ever seen, and has no less than three or four different climaxes, and while (in a Bondian mood) I could quip about how multiple climaxes are usually quite welcome, in terms of storytelling it often elicits a "GET ON WITH IT!" from me, or a sigh of frustration, or both. The movie also takes a really long time to get to its central premise, the high stakes game at the Casino Royale, although this is ameliorated somewhat by long chases/fights and explosions.

Also, of all the Bond movies, it's the one that sticks closest to its source material (with the possible exception of From Russia With Love). Aside from the set pieces and the fringe stuff, the central plotline about Le Chiffre, why MI6 is going after him in such a way, what Le Chiffre does to Bond and the story of Bond and Vesper Lynd is straight out of the book, as is some of the actual dialogue. Now, this may or may not be a good thing, depending on how much you liked the novel, and I'm one of those whose general reaction to the book was "meh". I mean, it's certainly a spy story, but whether it's Bond — or rather, the popular Bond people have expectations about — is another matter. Note that the last time they adapted Casino Royale it was a spoof, and it took the official franchise this long to get around to it, which tells you something about how uncomfortably it fits in with the standard Big Villain Big Scheme Big Explosion motif that surrounds the movie Bond. It's a psychological portrait more than rollicking adventure, and this really shows in the last half hour or so of the movie, where it drags on quite a bit.

I can't decide if Daniel Craig is a worthy successor to the mantle. I really liked Pierce Brosnan's Bond, and while Craig's Bond is certainly closer to the cold-hearted ruthless operative of Fleming's books, at the same time one continues to note that the movie version of Bond has evolved into something else altogether. I know that they're trying to reinvent the movie Bond, but there are still certain expectations from long-time Bond fans.

So while Connery was every bit as brutal, there was a suaveness about his manner that Craig's craggy, punched-in-the-face-several-times looks can't convey. Craig's Bond never really pretends that he's anything else but Her Majesty's Thug, and the times when he appears to do so he doesn't carry it off. So, props to Craig for the brutality and the grittiness, bit nil points for charm. However, I reserve judgement for the next movie to give him a chance to move better into that suit.

Also on the down side is Eva Green as Vesper Lynd, the least appealing Bond girl in my mind since Grace Jones as May Day in A View To A Kill. Green is a beautiful and sensual young woman, but she has zero chemistry with Craig, and her natural beauty is hidden beneath way too much make-up and especially mascara; the panda look doesn't do much for me. I was never convinced of the romance between her and Bond, and the fact that I knew it couldn't and wouldn't last (quite apart from knowing the end of the book, the conventions of a Bond movie series made this impossible) made the last bits of the movie drag out even more as my mind began the Vesper Lynd Death Watch™ timer.

Also, the game of the movie is Texas Hold 'Em. As much as I myself enjoy poker, this does not exude the same class as chemin de fer or baccarat. In fact, it's kind of crass, really.

On the plus side, Le Chiffre is a classic (if kind of namby pamby) Bond villain, complete with the physical flaws that mark him as part of the Fleming literary tradition (all Fleming bad guys have some kind of deformity. That's why the moment I saw Elektra King had a damaged earlobe in The World Is Not Enough — the most literary of all the Bond movies — I instantly pegged her for a baddie). They've dumped the bad blue screen and/or CGI from Die Another Day and returned to real, physical stunt work for the action sequences, another welcome return. Judi Densch as M is a delight, as always, and I've already mentioned Craig being able to carry off one-half of what a movie Bond should be. I'm still waiting for the other half. Also, the titles were amazing cool, although I still don't like the pop/rock approach they've taken to the theme songs of late and wish we could have Shirley Bassey back again. Or at least let the Propellerheads take a shot at the theme next time. Speaking of themes, the main James Bond theme was strangely muted and subtle in this one, surfacing almost teasingly before vanishing back into the soundtrack, only to blossom with the end credits. I'll give David Arnold credit for this kind of thematic development, but the fanboy in me would rather have had it up front.

Casino Royale is a reboot, and as reboots go, it's not that bad. It scores a lot of points in that the movie makers are obviously trying to go back to Bond's literary bad boy roots, but they may be going a bit too far in that direction. There's a certain English-ness about the movie Bond that doesn't really come to the fore in this movie. While this certainly did not make me wring my hands in disgust like I did Die Another Day, it didn't make me go wild either. It's a good start, and I'll be interested in seeing more.