Comicbook movies you wouldnt think are comics.

With the Dark Knight rises and the Avengers due out this summer its fairly safe to say comic books movies are still going strong but you dont have to dawn tights and fight crime for hollywood to pick you. With that siad heres some flicks out there that chances are you wouldnt think are based on comics at all.

Road to Perdition
Sam Mendes adapted Max Allen Collins graphic novel into to could only be described as Oscear fodder.
While the film wasnt bad it seemed to drop alot of the tone and mood of the comic in place of Mendes own style of story telling yet the main permese remains the same Mob enforcer goes on the run with his son after his boss kills his family and seeks vengance. The comic has a number of follow on books yet these seem that they will never to be made into features.

A History of Violence

Based on the dark and gritty comic buy the great comic writer John Wagner this is one of my prefered adaptions and while it dosent stick to the source that well it does grip the main theme of the comic such as how violence dosent just effect those you hurt and kill but those you set out to protect. Cronenberg rightly landed a number of awards for this film and Id put it up there with one of the best comic books adaptions of the last 10 years.

From Hell
This movie was one of the worst attempts to adapt an Allen Moore comic for a number of reasons (1) The book is an almost document epic about the jack the Ripper slaying (2) Johnny Depp acting is cat in this movie and (3) its an Allen Moore story. Moore poured his blood sweat and tears into this book and some how they thought that they could embody that in this murder/mystery box of trash....come on for fuck sake.
Check out this marvel of a book buy all means but appraoching the movie would be a big mitake.

Ghost World

Based on the cult comic buy Daniel Clowes the movie still has the witty quirky vibe of the books. The story is a bittersweet tale of life, love and growing up. while ill never know how this flick got the green light Im glad it did and I suggest either the flick or the book to anyone who is in a place in their lives where they dont really know where they are or what they want to do because this little gem just goes to show your not the only one in that pickle.

So just to remind you guys that you dont need to be Zack Snyder to direct a comic book movie you just need the right story and a love of good graphic novels.

A History of violence published buy Paradox Press/Vertigo

Ghost world Published buy Fantagraphics Books

From Hell Published buy Knockabout Comics

Road to Perdition buy Paradox Press

Fucked up Fiends!

Sometimes baddies movies are over the top and unreal that we forget that besides hateing them we should also be afriad of them and what they can do......heres a list of my top five most unsettleing baddies in a movie.

(1)Hans Landa :Inglourious Basterds
So Nazies are scarey be the sick fucks in Schinleders list or the melty ones in Raiders of the lost ark...nazies buy a fashion are ment to be scarey. Hans Landa is the most scarey nazie ever...and why you might ask?
Cause he so fucking likable. You drop your defences and thats when your fucked. Be it asking for a glass of milk on minute to gunning down a family of jews under his feet the next the guy can switch just like that. You are totally disarmed buy his charm and quirkyness that you are in state of shock when he ressorts to acts of violance. He savagely strangles Bridget von Hammersmark after flirting with her over the course of the movie. Cold ,cruel and charming the Jew hunter is indeed the worst the nazies have to offer.

(2)Frank: Once upon a time in the West
Okay so the movie opens with a whole family getting slaughtered buy trenchcoat wearing figures...all bar a small child are killed. One of the baddies turns to their leader and says his name "Frank" to which Frank replys "You used my name!" and blows the small boy away. The camera pans up and low and behold its Henry Fonda. Up till now the man only ever played nice guys which sucks really cause hes one cold motherfucker in this. Be it killing women or children or tortureing his crippled boss he is mister Iceman.
No emotion and an ever so slow walk like a spider closing in on prey stuck to its web the guy oozes chilling underplayed menace and that my friends is what gets him onto this list.

 
(3)Chris Cleek :The Woman
Right so despite the fact the woman in question is a feral cannibalistic she bitch from hell shes infact the (anti)hero of this flick.Which begs the question what sthe fucking badguy like.Well let me tell you! Chris Cleek is one scarey motherfucker. Beats his wife but considers hes the best husband in the world. Rapes and tortures the wild woman in th celler buts as he says its to civilize her. Has one daughter locked up with dogs and blinded, turned his son into a sick fuck as much as he is and may have impregnated his eldest daughter  but hay hes sure hes father of the year.....Did I mention he feeds a young teacher to his blind dogchild and german shepards what a swell guy. The Guy really thinks hes every right to treat women like fucking meat. He is a savagely  misogynistic ranting to Peggy (his eldest daughter) that all women a stupied useless c**ts and seems to really beleaf that a womans life is forefit.  Sean Bridgers who im a big fan of  from Deadwood really made this deeply depraved role all his own and reminds us that horror movie monsters dont just have to be the guy waveing an axe but  also the guy just mowing the lawn!

(4)T-1000:Terminator 2
Laugh all you want but I had to put him((it)) in here. In the first movie arnies all smash,bash,crash. You knew what he was going to do and most of the times you knew how he was going to do it. But with the T-1000 it was a different kettle of fish. If Arnies a tank then the 1000 was a stealth bomber. He was sleek and fast and you never really knew whated hed do. He stealthly kills John Conners foster folks buy pretending to be the mom and then implaes the dad..milk carton and all while chating to john in order to get him home. When he stalks John,Sarah and theT-101 through the hospital he does it slowly like an eel or shark hunting its prey....he only kicks into overdrive when he gets a flaking from arnie. Even when Sarah comes close but no ice-cream to killing him he waggles his finger showing a sick sense of humour that no machine should have yet hes so fiendish he just does.

Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford: The Killer Inside Me
Soft spoken and slightly dim is one hell of a cover if your one sick peice of shit. Thats what Lou Fords got down to a tee and that how he gets away with so much carnage. He trys to frame a hooker for the murder of the mayors son and only failed cause he didnt beat her enough to kill her. When his own wife gives him shit he beats her and frames and shoots the town bum who was blackmailing him. He kills all round him and is so cocky that even when his plans turn to shit he dosent seem to break a sweat or even confronted buy the ones who love him show any sort of remorse for his actions. But then agien at the end of the day Lou Ford is jut one mean killing machine

So there you have it. You dont need a cloak, an axe or even an army of henchmen to be a scary badguy....all you need is for people not to notice you until its too late!