Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night - Dir. Kevin Munroe (2011)

Comic book movies are a staple of the summer movie season. 2011 is another big year for Marvel with Thor, X-Men: First Class, and Captain America while DC and Warner Brothers look to reinvigorate their characters with Green Lantern. There are also lesser-known, non-superhero properties like Cowboys & Aliens and Priest. Then, there's Dylan Dog: Dead of Night, an obscure picture based on an obscure comic. Dylan Dog is a paranormal investigator created by Italian author Tiziano Sciavi. Though virtually unknown in the States, the comics are extremely popular in Europe. This reviewer is unfamiliar with the source material, aside from the knowledge that Dog's sidekick was a Groucho Marx impersonator. Sadly, Groucho doesn't make it into the movie due to likeness issues. Previous awareness doesn't matter since the movie is only loosely based on the original character. Dead of Night was savaged by Italian critics and fans while meeting with deaf ears in the U.S. due to a miniscule theatrical run.

Former Superman Brandon Routh looks to head up another comic book franchise by stepping into the title role. Routh even enlists the aid of Superman Returns co-star Sam Huntington (who played Jimmy Olsen) as his mystery solving partner. This version of Dylan Dog is a private investigator based in New Orleans and specializing in the supernatural. His motto, "No pulse, no problem." After a tragic case that resulted in the death of his wife, Dylan gives up the paranormal detective game and makes his money by taking dirty pictures of adulterous husbands and wives.

Dylan is dragged back into that world by Elizabeth (Anita Briem), whose father, a dealer of antiquities, is apparently murdered by a werewolf. Dylan traverses the various factions in the city with the biggest power players being Gabriel (Peter Stormare), the patriarch of a werewolf family, and Vargas (Taye Diggs), a nightclub owner and leader of the vampires. Meanwhile, Dylan's buddy, Marcus (Huntington), is killed and brought back to life as a zombie. Luckily, Marcus attends a zombie support group to help manage his condition.

Dead of Night slavishly follows the basic formula of a film noir with a dour detective as the protagonist. He encounters double crosses, a femme fatale, and bad guys who tell him to lay off the case. The plot centers around the search for a McGuffin, in this case, it's a powerful artifact known as the Heart of Belial. If you've seen any classic noir like The Maltese Falcon or Chinatown, then you'll easily see every twist and turn coming a mile away. The film is also littered with the requisite voiceover with Routh robotically reciting Raymond Chandler-esque narration throughout the story.

It's too bad Routh got the boot as the Man of Steel. He made a passable Superman and an excellent Clark Kent. Perhaps, if the movie was more action and less soap opera, he might still be donning the iconic red and blue suit. Routh has shown he has comedic talents when given better material as evidenced in Zack & Miri Make a Porno and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. In Dead of Night, Routh is an uncharismatic bore monotonously delivering his leaden lines. His castmates are equally lifeless to the point where the notoriously hammy Peter Stormare can't be bothered to do anything memorable. As the other primary antagonist, Taye Diggs is thoroughly unconvincing as a ruthless vampire with blinged out fangs. Huntington is downright annoying after seemingly graduating from the Shia LaBeouf School for Comic Relief Sidekicks. Huntington even dresses as LaBeouf did in I, Robot and Constantine.

Dead of Night was directed by Kevin Munroe, a former animator whose only previous directing credit was on 2007's TMNT. Munroe surely gave it his best effort in spite of a limited budget of $8 million. Yet, the action scenes are thoroughly pedestrian and the werewolf make-up is utterly laughable. Gabriel's son, Wolfgang (randomly played by pro wrestler and Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle) looks like he's wearing a cheap-o mask from Party City when he morphs into wolf form. The vampires appear to have been recycled from the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Screenwriters Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer also penned the atrocious adaptations Sahara and A Sound of Thunder as well as the upcoming Conan the Barbarian. Doesn't bode well for fans of the Cimmerian conqueror.

It's not all bad. There are a couple cool ideas scattered about. Dylan arms himself with wood tipped bullets and silver knuckles. Vampires sell their blood to humans as a designer drug. Zombies frequent chop shops that sell replacement limbs for the undead.

The cheesy movie review headline for this would be Dead of Night is dead on arrival. The film completely misses the mark for what could have been a fun mash-up of noir, horror, and comic book action. Dead of Night is to Dylan Dog as Constantine is to John Constantine. It's a pale imitation with direct-to-video level production values.

Rating: * (*****)

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Dir. Edgar Wright (2010)


I’ve liked you for a thousand years, a thousand years.
I’ve liked you for a thousand years, a thousand years.
- “Scott Pilgrim” by Plumtree

Hollywood loves scouring the comic book and video game worlds for hot properties to turn into films. Usually these adaptations involve translating the fantastical elements of the source material into a real world setting. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World doesn’t even attempt to tone down the craziness. The result is a hyper-stylized picture that is one of the most visually dynamic films in recent memory.

Scott Pilgrim was originally created by Toronto-based artist Bryan O’Malley as a six volume series of graphic novels. O’Malley combined autobiographical elements with his love of manga, video games, and indie rock music. The comics were filled with pop culture references wrapped within pop culture references. Who better to adapt the books than Edgar Wright the filmmaker who has embraced geek culture with Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the similarly themed TV show, Spaced.

The eponymous Scott Pilgrim is played by Michael Cera, an unlikely lead for such an action-packed movie. Like most of Cera’s characters, Scott is an awkward, stammering slacker. He has no job and plays bass in a three-piece garage band called Sex Bob-Omb. Pilgrim isn’t as hip as he makes himself out to be. He doesn’t own a cell phone, still uses AOL to check his email, and honestly believes people are impressed by his knowledge of obscure Pac-Man trivia. He’s a self-centered boy raised on a steady diet of Nintendo and pop culture detritus. As such, Scott casts himself as the hero in his own little world. He seems to treat girls as prizes to be won after completing various levels of his life. Nearly everything he does is a huge production. Even when he goes to the bathroom an energy bar appears to indicate when he’s finished.

Scott is still reeling from a bad breakup with former girlfriend, Envy Adams (Brie Larson), who has gone on to become the famous lead singer for The Clash at Demonhead, named after an old NES game. On the rebound, Scott is dating Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), an overly exuberant and charmingly naïve schoolgirl. But, poor Knives is kicked to the curb when Scott falls madly in love with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). The alternative dream girl, Ramona has bright magenta hair and zips along on roller skates through a convenient subspace portal inside Scott’s head.

Before the romance can even begin, Scott finds himself under assault from The League of Evil Exes, Ramona’s former flames who have banded together to snuff out any chance of happiness for the young couple. The first Evil Ex is Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha), an angry Emo clad in military surplus chic who summons a horde of demon hipster chicks for a Bollywood dance number. The remaining Evil Exes include: Lucas Lee (Chris Evans), pro skateboarder turned movie star; Todd Ingram (Brandon Routh), a bassist who has gained psychic powers due to his strict vegan diet; Roxy Richter (Mae Whitman) who dated Ramona during her brief bi-curious “sexy phase;” and the electronica playing DJs the Katayanagi Twins (Shota & Keita Saito). As you’d expect from any good game, each showdown becomes progressively more difficult until they confront the mastermind behind this guild of jilted lovers is record producer Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman).

Not since Ang Lee’s Hulk has there been a film that has managed to cinematically capture the comic book experience like Scott Pilgrim. Wright utilizes techniques such as split-screens and varying aspect ratios to energize his scenes. Flashbacks are told in panels with artwork by O’Malley. Adding to the cartoonish atmosphere are sound effect bubbles and little doodles that remind you of the things a junior high schooler would sketch in his notebook. Scott Pilgrim is also heavy in video game tropes. Wright sets you up immediately with an 8-bit version of the studio logo complete with a MIDI of the Universal theme. Vanquished enemies burst into coins and combatants charge each other until the background blurs into anime-style speed lines. Wright also samples sound effects from games such as The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Street Fighter Alpha 3, among others. But, you don’t need to be a hardcore gamer to enjoy the movie. Less talented directors will use visual trickery with no true purpose, sometimes to cover up their own deficiencies. In contrast, the visuals of Scott Pilgrim are always in service to the story and help to build the unique world. If the Jets and the Sharks can engage in elaborately choreographed dance numbers before battle, surely Scott Pilgrim can pull a flaming sword from his chest.

The gaming symbolism provides a sense of nerd wish fulfillment. Haven’t we all wished we could get a do-over or wanted to believe a girl dumped you because she was being mind-controlled by a computer chip?

Just as the film is a scrumptious feast for the eyes, the soundtrack is an aural treat for the ears. Music was a huge component of the original comics so much so that O’Malley provided a recommended playlist for each volume. Likewise, music has been a vital part of Wright’s films. Need anyone be reminded of the zombie beatdown set to Queen’s “Don’t Stop Now” from Shaun of the Dead?

The score for Scott Pilgrim was largely composed by record producer Nigel Godrich who has worked with acts such as U2, Paul McCartney, and Radiohead. The music of Sex Bob-Omb is provided by Beck who gives them a fuzzy, distortion-laden sound befitting of a slapdash garage band. The character of Envy Adams was inspired by Emily Haines, lead singer of the Toronto band, Metric, who double for Clash at Demonhead. Wright also throws in some clever musical cues that include “Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl” by Broken Social Scene for Knives Chau and The Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb” for Gideon Graves.

Michael Cera doesn’t depart too far from his dweeb-ish on-screen persona. He’s not the versatile actor, but he fits seamlessly into the role. As Scott Pilgrim, he must overcome his own innate inertia to defeat the League. Wright superbly casts the supporting players with a wealth of talented young actors. Schwartzman is the perfect actor to convey the hipster smarminess of Gideon Graves. However, it is Chris Evans and Brandon Routh, neither strangers to comic book films, who truly shine in their villainous roles. Evans is a member of the Fantastic Four, the Losers, the Avengers, and now the League of Evil Exes. He gives Lucas Lee the gravelly voice and scowl of Clint Eastwood along with a cocky swagger. Routh is equally funny imbuing the smug self-righteousness befitting of someone who is both a rock star and a vegan. Kieran Culkan (as gay roommate Wallace), Alison Pill (as freckle faced drummer Kim Pine), Anna Kendrick (as younger sister Stacey Pilgrim), and Aubrey Plaza (sometimes nemesis Julie Powers) act as a sardonic Greek chorus providing the film with a dry wit as they comment on the lunacy that is Scott Pilgrim’s life. The biggest surprise has to be newcomer Ellen Wong whose infectious enthusiasm as Knives Chau fully exhibits the unbridled joy that comes from the film. There’s a wonderful innocence about her not to mention the naturally expressive eyes of an anime character.

Also, look out for uncredited cameos from Thomas Jane and Clifton Collins Jr. as vegan police officers.

If Scott Pilgrim has a weakness, it is that the movie tends to feel overstuffed from time to time. Wright and co-writer Michael Bacall streamlined the six part series into a 110 minute film. Some characters, like the Katayanagi Twins, get short changed in screen time and some relationships, like the one between Scott and Pill’s Kim Pine, are only alluded to.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World limped to a meager $10 million opening at the box office this past weekend. Perhaps, it aimed too heavily at a niche audience. Causal viewers may be baffled by the subculture the film revolves around, but it shouldn’t stop you from seeing it. Edgar Wright somehow manages to blend comic books, video games, and the physical humor of Looney Tunes with martial arts action and the youthful angst of John Hughes. The result is the exciting and inventive picture known as Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

Rating: *** ½

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Zack and Miri Make a Porno - Dir. Kevin Smith (2008)


Potty mouthed, but with a heart tends to be an apt description of Kevin Smith’s oeuvre. After the underrated Jersey Girl bombed, Smith returned to the View Askew universe he had attempted to distance himself from with Clerks II. Rather than go back to the well again, he tries once more and hits al the right smutty notes with Zack and Miri. The title is self-explanatory though the reasoning behind the plot is pretty flimsy. With the economy in the toilet, I’m still waiting for the legions of amateur porn movies to hit the interwebs. The unpaid bills are forgotten as the film progresses. Everybody is more preoccupied with getting the money shots and not the actual money. They don't have money for the electricity, but enough for an R2D2 costume with prosthetic testicles?

However, that’s not really the point behind Zack and Miri. Like Chasing Amy, it’s about how sex can complicate a relationship. It’s about best friends finally facing up to the deep seeded feelings they have for each other. And there are plenty of bad words and hilarious one-liners to make sure things don’t get too mushy.

Aside from Jason Mewes, Jeff Anderson, and his wife, Smith forgoes uses his usual players and borrows a few from Judd Apatow’s repertory. Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks are both great as the title characters, but supporting actor Craig Robinson (Knocked Up, The Office) has all the best scenes as a henpecked husband turned porn producer. The film’s best and funniest scene involves a husky voiced Justin Long and Superman himself, Brandon Routh, as a gay couple.

Zack and Miri isn’t going to be accused of being high art, but it is good entertainment for those who aren’t skittish about scatological humor. Or Jason Mewes’ scrotum.

Rating: ***