Nicolas Cage was almost Superman, and he definitely played Ghost Rider, but you'll forget both of them once you meet Big Daddy
I'm going to be publishing my thoughts on "Kick-Ass" verrrrrrrrrry soon, but I don't want to rush it.
Suffice to say, Matthew Vaughn conquered that Austin audience this weekend, and I'm thrilled with the way the film cut together. When you visit a set, you're looking at parts. Pieces. Potential. But until a film is done, almost anything could happen. I've seen films that were moderately impressive on set come together in a way that is almost confusingly great, and I've seen the exact opposite. With "Kick Ass," I hoped it was going to work from the moment I read the script, and in every one of the set reports I wrote after visiting last year, I was optimistic. I've been playing cheerleader ever since, and now, I'm thrilled to see that whatever I thought it was going to be, it's better.
Today, UGO got hold of the new "Big Daddy" character poster and a great new clip.
I heard some criticism from people at BNAT of the way Lionsgate is handling the promo art on this film so far, but I disagree. I love the four-part poster featuring just the backs of the characters, and I love that they're not selling these people as movie stars, but as CHARACTERS. That's what I love about the film... it's not the violence, although that's awesome, and it's not the superhero stuff, even though that's fun.
No... this is a movie about a handful of truly special characters who meet each other at a very strange moment in time, and if it's going to work, it depends on the audience really buying into each of them. Kick-Ass, Hit Girl, Big Daddy, and the Red Mist all have to click if the audience is going to take this wild ride with them.
Here's the poster, which reveals just how "Phantom of the Paradise" meets "Batman" the design on Big Daddy really is:
And now here's the clip, which is the way we meet Damon (Nic Cage) and Mindy (Chloe Moretz) in the film.
"Kick Ass" arrives April 16, 2010. You are not ready.
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Comments from HitFix Nation
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PULP FICTION made brilliant use of its music and had the dough to license it. The music in the BNAT screening was temp cues taken from superhero and genre films they will never get the rights to use. Those familiar cues were custom-made for a geek audience. We all know how music creates the "soul" and many times the "fun" of a film and how it affects the audience. So the BNAT film experience and its "fun" score will NOT be recreated in theaters in April. That will make a huge difference in how the film plays at that time. So to make a big deal over this screening of the film in its temp form at this time creates a false impression of what is to come to theaters. Unless you know something I don't and Lionsgate can assure us that those cues will be used then no review of this film at this time from BNAT is solidly valid. I believe without those pop movie cues the film would have played a lot differently at the BNAT screening for an audience of film and comic book geeks that came from all over to see a 24 hour marathon of films. That enthusiasm was calculatingly set-up by that film score. By the way, WHO is scoring the film?
Special effects. They look pretty shoddy to me. Especially that opening scene (along with the uninspired use of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" which its satirical license was revoked about twenty years ago). The matte work looks like stuff from YouTube (Some YouTube work looks better!) The CGI stuff in the Hit Girl Attacks scene looks bad, too. Like a cartoon.
Okay. Maybe this film is as funny as you thought OBSERVE AND REPORT was. Look at how well that "film geek" movie did at the box office with the mainstream audience. I'm sure the critics will love KICK ASS just as much, too, and this film is about superheroes on top of it which we know how critics love seeing insular films about that genre. I really can't see how a mainstream audience will have much fun with a lot of inside comic book geek jokes lobbed over their heads.
Also, Vaughn, like his pal Ritchie, have yet to ever impress. Sorry if aping Tarantino, making flat out garbage like Swept away, and a mediocre fantasay film (stardust) does nt impress me Drew. I love sherlock holmes and would love to see a good reinvention (im no purist by any means), but the script is simply mediocre. Otherwise please explain to me how the "mystery" is any suprise whatsoever....
I also love the concept of Kick ass, but until I see it, Vaughn has no great track record that I should just suck his dick. Sorry if it upsets you Drew that I only give a director the benefit of the doubt when they have a proven track record. Then I will follow them where ever the hell they want to take me....
Dont lump me in with the typical bitter, obsessed whiny fanboys that want everything to fail. I hope that both Sherlok holmes and Kick ass are good, and if so suceed as they deserve to.
Similarly, I have been disgusted with a large segment of Fandoms childish attitude to Avatar.
If anyone is being childish and condesending its you pal. You seem to be very protective of the film and attack anyone that is unsure.
I dont give a shit if you have seen it or not. I was never making any fucking claims about its quality. I have always trusted your reviews and I find that I almost always agree with your assessment. So if you tell me its good (and again, heres the important part, try to read...I like the concept of kick-ass and I like the trailer) then I will believe you.
But dont act like an arrogant tool if someone wonders if it will succeed. Last time I checked, no-one can predict these things (or everyone would have Lucas/Cameron success would nt they?)
But you go ahead and make grand statements about the films success, I prefer to wait and see what happens.....
I way Nic Cage says "Child" cracks me up every time.