Super

[Rigel]

Anyone else seen this?

Billed as an indie-style "Kickass," it is *much* more gory than that one was. But it was also really enjoyable.

Essentially: man's wife falls off the wagon and leaves him. Man finds Jesus. Man goes psycho in his underwear.

Rainn Wilson, Kevin Bacon, Liv Tyler, and Ellen Page are in it, and all of them are fun to watch. Especially Ellen Page failing at being seductive.

[Zarathustra]

I liked it.

Shut up, crime!!

Ellen Page was actually bearable in this movie. Usually I can't stand her. Wilson was great. I like that guy. Bacon is always good.

Nice line about "between the frames."

[jelerak]

It was good...but so many parts just paralleled Kick Ass that I found myself a bit put off. I think that if I had seen this prior to Kick Ass, I would have enjoyed it more.

Overall, a good movie with a good soundtrack that kept it moving forward, but a bit too close along the lines of Kick Ass.

...I still have hopes of a sequel to Kick Ass one day, but that seems like a long shot at best.

[[Syl]]

I didn't like Kick Ass, but I liked this one. It had a lot more substance.

[Zarathustra]

I didn't like Kick Ass, but I liked this one. It had a lot more substance.

I agree completely. This one seemed more real, to me. I know that's not the point, but little girls kicking adults' asses in slow motion is ridiculous. A small woman running over someone with a car is believable.

[jelerak]

Entertainment...that is what I got out of Kick Ass. Not too deep, not too dark, just pure kick ass entertainment. I dunno, if it was believability that I was looking for I probably would have turned it off. But I enjoyed Kick Ass.

I am not trying to take anything away from Super, I did enjoy it...it just didn't seem as much 'fun'.

[sgt.null]

i hav eit recorded to watch - huge fan of page...

[Zarathustra]

Entertainment...that is what I got out of Kick Ass. Not too deep, not too dark, just pure kick ass entertainment. I dunno, if it was believability that I was looking for I probably would have turned it off. .

I know what you mean--which is why I said, "I know that's not the point..." Expecting realism out of people dressing up like comic book heroes a good way to ensure disappointment. But at the same time, there is a limit to how over-the-top it can get. It's still possible to jump the shark.

I think it comes down to character. The girl in Kick Ass who bugged me so much was more a caricature than a character. Page's character wasn't a caricature, even though she exhibited the exaggerated exuberance and poor judgment of a little girl (to an unhealthy degree, one realizes in hindsight). The story treated the characters with more respect, which translates into a feeling of realism, even when dealing with unrealistic situations. Maybe that's what Syl meant by "substance."

[[Syl]]

Nah. By "substance" I meant "Didn't have Nicholas Cage."

Seriously, I think that's essentially correct. You can take a thoughtful approach to Super to derive meaning from it. Kick Ass is a story that, if it has greater meaning, lies tangential to the film's intent. Your example with Page is a good one. Or if you take out the weird messages from God (both darkly humorous as well as a strong indicator that we're supposed to question if it's mental illness, and if so, what that says about some who achieve greatness), Wilson's character is a perfect everyman (if a sadsack kind of one). Comparatively, Kick Ass is a piece of post-teen wish fulfillment and revenge fantasy. Mumblecore film-making with the angst dial turned up.

Where Kick Ass seemed violent and flashy to me, Super was brutal -- understated and honest (relatively true to human nature and capabilities).

[sgt.null]

have wedsnesday off - will be watching it then posting a review here...

[Zarathustra]

Nah. By "substance" I meant "Didn't have Nicholas Cage."

Can't stand him, either.

Comparatively, Kick Ass is a piece of post-teen wish fulfillment and revenge fantasy. Mumblecore film-making with the angst dial turned up.

Where Kick Ass seemed violent and flashy to me, Super was brutal -- understated and honest (relatively true to human nature and capabilities).

Well said. I agree. Super depicted violence as what it is: something brutal. Kick Ass depicted violence as what it is not: something silly and/or cool.