I'd seen a lot of the other ones. I must say that Ghost Worldis one of my favourite films. If Robert Crumb had written an autobiography, Terry Zwigoff's Crumb would surely be on Robin's list too.
This year, Dublin: One City, One Book - Dublin's annual celebration of literature - celebrates native son Bram Stoker's Dracula for the month of April.
Tom Jane must save a dreary future Earth from zombies with pointy arms. Hmm.
Films based on computer games are largely poor (viz Street Fighter, Super Mario Brothers, Dead Or Alive). Sometimes the games themselves are poor, but more often they are simply unsuited to adaptation. Genre films demand strong narratives (and hence strong characters), which are not the strengths of the fighting games and shoot-em-ups that more often make it to the cinema.
The Mutant Chronicles (or MuChron, as I prefer to call it), starts from the further disadvantage of being based on a tabletop wargame of the same name.
Set in the 28th century, MuChron concerns the recruitment, by Brother Samuel (Ron Perlman) of cynical soldier Mitch Hunter (Tom Jane) to lead a mission to destroy an ancient alien machine which turns the dead from Earth’s interminable wars into mutant zombies.
Despite a labourious exposition of its dreary steampunk setting, in which four corporations based on racial stereotypes duke it out for control of the Earth’s natural resources, the whys and wherefores of this world are considered irrelevant to the movie (which, after all is about killing zombies).
Nothing could be further from the truth however. Science Fiction set in distant futures, pasts or worlds demands greater explication of its workings, than does fiction set in a familiar contemporary world which we know intuitively. It is never explained why, for example, 700 years into the future, culture, technology and warfare have stalled in the 1940s, except for the steam-powered spaceships.
Despite the absurdity of its premise and its claim to be an Action-Adventure film, MuChron is a particularly grave affair, high in grime and stoicism, short on round-house kicks, impaling, explosions and witty one-liners (not even an anachronistic knees-up ‘round the old Joanna). Indeed it is pretty short on zombies too.
However, if MuChron lacks in plentiful zombies, it compensates by having Brother Samuel bang on about how Faith is great and how Mitch ought to have some, to which Mitch replies: ‘I’m not paid to have Faith. I’m paid to fuck shit up.’ Quite.
To paraphrase another review I once read, the distasteful result is a feeling of having been robbed of precious time and a lingering and humiliating sense of having misunderstood a not very funny joke.
Adapting comics for the TV and cinema is standard procedure. Stan Lee's Marvel Comics has been at it for twenty-plus years. It has found varying degrees of success, but here are six of the best:
Iron Man (2008) - Robert Downey Jr. stars as laconic, millionaire playboy, Tony Stark, in a surprisingly potent modern parable, directed by Jon Favreau. Extra points for Black Sabbath in the closing credits.
Spiderman 2 (2004) - Sam Raimi brings his A game to B+ material to produce a highly enjoyable sequel.
Spiderman(2002) - Sam Raimi brings pop exuberance to the web-slinger and Toby Maguire is Peter Parker.
X-Men(2000) - Bryan Singer gives a classy, sophisticated take on the quintessential Marvel heroes, with plenty of character and intrigue to back up the action.
Blade(1998) - Wesley Snipes camps it up in the then-popular black leather trenchcoat, fights Stephen Dorff.
Howard the Duck (1986) and Dr. Strange (1978) - Two of the strangest Marvel adaptations are tied for the final spot. Though David Hasselhoff's Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD ran a close third. No, not really. Urgh!
Batman defers retirement when a maniac with a sense of the sublime begins to wreak holy terror on Gotham City.
Rarely has an action movie full of preposterous characters, feats and action been so heavy hearted. In The Dark Knight, Batman is not the Caped Crusader, but a lonely outsider, burdened by his sense of responsibility and the moral limbo in which that places him.
In fact, while British director Christopher Nolan's first outing, Batman Begins, was gritty, Dark Knight brings an emotional realism and intensity seldom seen in any film, let alone an action movie.
The characters's struggles with the nature of social order and individual freedom, morality, duty and justice, would not be out of place in the Art House.
The film plays with themes and images of duality throughout. Batman has several 'others', such as Gotham's white knight, hotshot DA Harvey Dent, Jim Gordon, Batman's liaison in the civilian world, and of course the chaotic Joker.
At the heart of Dark Knight are compelling turns from Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart, in a cast full of great actors. Ledger's Joker is frighteningly alien and veteran character actor Eckhart, gives a nuanced performance as Dent. And while Christian Bale and Gary Oldman shine, as usual, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Morgan Freeman are underused.
The action scenes and sequences in Dark Knight are markedly improved from Batman Begins. Kinetic, muscular and unmarred by CGI tells, a couple of the set pieces are astonishing. While the film is largely well-paced, at two and a half hours it can hardly avoid a few longeurs.
The most amazing feat is that a Batman film full of references to the War on Terror™ - extraordinary rendition, meticulously-planned acts of terrorism by a villain with a 'higher calling', video footage of terrorist hostages and a hero who must sometimes play a villain etc. - could be made in America, in its current hysterical mood.
It does Nolan credit that he has made a film that goes straight to the essence of the Batman mythos and the American mythos.
Really does look good. Very faithful to the look and feel of the comic. A lot of people dislike the anti-climactic ending of the comic, so it will be interesting to see if the film gives it more impact. You can view a much bigger, clearer trailer here.
Wired has a good article about the Hollywood 'goldrush' for comic properties.
I had never heard of Danger: Diabolik or Female Convict Scorpion before reading Robin Bougie's excellent article, on Guttersnipe Media about the best adaptions of comics for cinema. 
