Weekly Alternatives: 'Super' and 'Marwencol'
Don't like the major theatrical offerings, try these instead
| Super |
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| Super, from writer-director James Gunn (Slither), is another one of those pedestrian superhero films (like Kick-Ass or Defendor) — just far more cynical and shamelessly violent. It centers on an average guy (Rainn Wilson) who assumes the alter-ego of "The Crimson Bolt" when his wife (Liv Tyler) leaves him for a strip club owner and petty crime lord (Kevin Bacon), but Ellen Page, who scared the hell out of me as his disturbed and foul-mouthed sidekick "Boltie," is the real star of the show. Super's tone may be all over the place, but no matter which key it hits it's always an exciting one. I'm almost ashamed to admit how much I enjoyed this. Maybe that's kind of the point. I saw the film at a screening with Michael Rooker, who has a small role in the film as one of Bacon's henchmen, in attendance. At the post-screening Q&A, he sounded as if he had as much fun watching us watch the film as we did watching the film itself, as we cringed, laughed and cheered at all the hellacious things that were happening on the screen. "Chicago gets this movie!" he proclaimed. While I do think you can enjoy Super regardless of how you see it, it's definitely one of those films that is aided by seeing it in the right venue with the right audience. It's now available On Demand, but I'd recommend looking for a late-night screening (or even better, a midnight show) if it happens to be playing in your area. | |
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| Marwencol |
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| The Academy certainly missed the boat on one of 2010's best documentaries, Marwencol, which flew well under the radar despite scoring a 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. It follows the recovery of Mark Hogancamp, who after suffering brain damage as a result of a vicious attack creates his own form of therapy in Marwencol, a model WWII-era town he builds in his backyard. He creates well-developed characters using G.I. Joes and Barbies, and Hogancamp's life-like photographs of the town's drama begins to attract the attention of an art magazine editor who sets up a gallery for Marwencol. It actually feels weird to call the film a "documentary" considering the yarns Hogancamp weaves with these characters are far more imaginative than most of the crap coming out of Hollywood these days. At times it feels like he's narrating you through an epic period piece, complete with action, suspense, comedy, gypsies and time machines. If you missed the film while it was in theaters (which you probably did), it is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. | |
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