BATTLE ANGEL ALITA

It was in the summer of '94 that I fell head over heels in love with the short animated film Battle Angel (renamed Battle Angel Alita in the US). One of the managers at the local comic book shop had unexpectedly handed me his VHS copy one afternoon and asked me to give it a watch.

The obvious echoes of Fritz Lang's Metropolis meets Ridley Scott's (and Phillip K. Dick's) Blade Runner, laced with other original elements by story creator Yukito Kishiro, blew me away. Soon after, I started reading the graphic novels/manga.

Despite being a longtime fan (or maybe because of that), I can't say that I'm looking forward to the live-action film that director Robert Rodriguez and producer James Cameron are bringing to theaters in the coming weeks. Off the top, I don't care at all for Alita's (or Gally's in the manga) facial design. 

I positively love Alita's anatomical design on the flat, two-dimensional plane, but the over-exaggerated, Disney-influenced eyes that the manga and anime of Japan have been known for over 50+ years just looks too grossly unnatural–to me–in a live-action venture.

Rodriguez should have reconsidered taking that approach, I think. 

The off-putting design seen in the trailers, however, is somewhat downplayed in this poster, and it WORKS. In fact, the overall design of the poster is really gorgeous, and I love how the florescent pink and baby blue just pops... 

Heyyyy, wait a minute! (Then again, never mind.)

Despite my disinterest in the film, somehow I still want it to do well. Rodriguez has every thing to do with that; he's yet to make a film I didn't enjoy, and if I could get past the design of Alita–which I can't–I'd probably enjoy this one too.

The poster really does kick ass, tho.

Alita: Battle Angel opens on Thursday, February 14. If you see it, puh-leeze feel free to tell me what you thought about it. I'll prolly just stick with the original anime and the comics.

'Spider-Man: Far From Home' (I See What You Did There, Marvel)

I'm sure that it's just a *ahem* coinkydink, but I really had to chuckle just now. I'd actually known the title for the second installment of the Tom Holland Spider-Man reboot series for a while. Months maybe. But it was only today, when I saw the new poster, that I recalled a comment I'd made about how I'd set my "Ultimate Spider-Man" story idea beyond the now boring borders of NYC.

"I also thought that I'd detail the story ideas that I have for my 'Ultimate Spider-Man' movie, which I've set in Chicago, Tokyo and Hong Kong (NYC settings have become a bit cliché in movies today)..." – Paco Taylor, 6.20.2015

Okay, New York is a great city. Far from boring. But Hollywood has just – I think –  milked the snot out of New York. And anyone who pays even a little attention to the culture of America's eastern media capitol knows that there's a very insulated "It's all about us" mindset there. And the fact Marvel Comics itself has always been based there didn't help. 

But damn. You'd think there weren't 50 States in America, and who knows how many cities across this nation. At least DC's Superman was from Kansas, and we got to see a glimpse of a rural, Midwestern landscape in the old Richard Donner directed Superman. 

Oh, wait. Marvel did put Tony Stark in some faux small town setting in Iron Man 3, right? And before that they were in Monaco for the Grand Prix and he was living a Hollywood/Disneyland lifestyle, so there's that. The Avengers and all the related films have seen various foreign vistas ("Wakanda Forever!"). It was mostly just Spider-Man that was relegated to New York. 

And I get it. In the comics, Spider-Man wasn't traditionally like the members of the Avengers or the Fantastic Four. Spidey has mostly been a cash strapped hometown hero. He could barely keep the rent paid in Lower Manhattan, let alone plan for a trip overseas. So at least he's getting a European vacation by way of a class trip in the upcoming film...which I very likely won't even see. 

I didn't see Spider-Man: Homecoming. I've heard tons of great things about it, but I myself was completely over the Peter Parker character. Let the new generation have their live-action Spider-Man, I had mine with Tobey Maguire in the role. Well, the first two Maguire films. The last one was a dumpster fire. Okay, it had some really good things going for it (Sandman!), but man...the bad things in Spider-Man 3 were/are just unforgivable.    

Anywho, I'm actually tired of posting stuff about Spider-Man(s). I just had to take one final dig at Mony (Marvel + Sony) for seemingly availing themselves still another of my brilliant ideas. 

If you're interested, Kevin Feige, Phil Lord, Peter Ramsey, Chris Miller, et. al, I'm available for casual brainstorming sessions and think tanks; I require that room temperature Fiji Water®, unsweetened golden oolong tea – Teas' Tea® brand – and assorted flavors of Japanese Kit Kats® be at my fingertips (non-negotiable). 

There are many more good ideas where these lil' blog toss-offs came from. So like I said before, have your people call my people. (LOL) Or...just shoot me an email: stpaco@gmail.com. 

Spider-Man: Far From Home opens on July 5, 2019.

P.S. I just now paid particular notice to that "I Love NY" sticker on the poster... *Dry heaves*

Playing Dirty: 'The Hitman's Bodyguard' Posters Pay Homage To The Art of 'Dirty Harry'

Yup, I see what you did there, Lionsgate. Getting 'down and dirty' with the posters for The Hitman's Bodyguard. I have to say that when I saw 'em, it really, really –wait for it–made my day.

Starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, The Hitman’s Bodyguard opens on August 18.