150 Movies You Should Die Before You See - Miller Steve [10]
A: Dirk Pitt and Blackbeard's Treasure (1994)
B: Raise the Titanic (1980)
C: Hell and High Water (1954)
D: The Deep (1977)
Answer: B. Raise the Titanic (1980). While Clive Cussler's novels may have been bestsellers, the films based upon them have been financial disasters. ITC spent $36 million to make the film but it only made some $14 million between theatrical screenings and home video rentals.
THE SPIRIT
Odd Lot Entertainment/Lions Gate Entertainment, 2008
PRODUCERS Michael Burns, Bill Lischak, Steven Maier, and Benjamin Melniker (executive producers), Deborah Del Prete, Gigi Pritzker, and Michael E. Uslan (producers)
WRITERS Frank Miller (script) and Will Eisner (characters, original comic book series)
DIRECTOR Frank Miller
STARS Gabriel Macht (The Spirit/Denny Colt), Samuel L. Jackson (The Octopus), Eva Mendes (Sand Saref), Scarlett Johannson (Dr. Silken Floss), Louis Lombardi (Pathos/Ethos/Logos), Dan Lauria (Commisioner Dolan), Stana Katic (Officer Morgenstern), and Paz Vega (Plaster of Paris)
The mysterious protector of Central City, the Spirit (Macht) squares off against the villainous Octopus (Jackson) over the secret behind the Spirit's powers and the key to world domination. But will triumph mean defeat for the Spirit? Has his long-lost childhood sweetheart, Sand Saref (Mendes), really joined forces with the Octopus?
Why It Sucks
Frank Miller claims to be a huge fan of comic book genius Will Eisner. Why then did he choose to write an adaptation of Eisner's signature creation that gutted it of its signature charm? Miller's convinced he can improve on a masterpiece by tearing it apart and rebuilding it in his own image. The Spirit is an empty shell of a movie that rehashes, poorly, the visual approach and writing style of Miller's Sin City.
Thumbs Down Rating:
The Crappies
The Worst Script Award goes to … Frank Miller for combining three of Eisner's best and most complex characters — master criminal Sand Saref, black widow con-artist P'Gell, and international jewel thief Silk Satin — into one single, beautiful dame in a skimpy dress.
And the Worst Actor Award goes to … Samuel L. Jackson for his portrayal of the Octopus. Over the top is putting it mildly. He makes Jack Nicholson's Joker look like a model of restraint.
They Really Said It!
The Octopus: Free-range chickens with their big brown ugly-ass eggs. They piss me off. Every time I think about those big brown eggs they piss. Me. Off.
Betcha Didn't Know
The Spirit was the lead feature in a weekly comic book supplement produced by Eisner's art studio between 1940 and 1952.
The film made roughly $20 million during its U.S. theatrical run, but it had an estimated production cost of $35 million.
Trivia Quiz
In The Spirit movie, Ellen Dolan is a physician. What does she do in the comic book series?
A: Dilettante and later mayor of Central City
B: Headmistress at a private school for girls
C: Dilettante and later a secret agent for the United States government
D: Accountant for the IRS
Answer: A. Dilettante and later mayor of Central City. For the first years of the series, Ellen Dolan tried a range of careers, including private investigator. At the end of an extended story arc, she became mayor.
CHAPTER THREE
CREAKY CLASSICS
The term “classic” implies a movie will transcend the moment of its creation and still hold appeal years after its creation. Marketers and reviewers, especially in the entertainment business, tend to use — and overuse — the oxymoronic phrase “instant classic.” It is to them that I dedicate this chapter.
BLACK DRAGONS
Banner Productions, 1942
PRODUCERS Jack Dietz and Sam Katzman
WRITERS Harvey Gates (screenplay), Robert Kehoe (story)
DIRECTOR William Nigh
STARS Bela Lugosi (Dr. Melcher/Colomb), Clayton Moore (Dick Martin), Joan Barclay (Alice Saunders), George Pembroke (Dr. William Saunders), and Irving Mitchell (John Van Dyke)
As America gears up to fight the Japanese during World War II, a group of wealthy Fifth Columnists