Another rightwing dumbass bombs at the box-office: Frank Miller's "The Spirit' flops hard

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

Past-his-prime wingnut comic artist Frank Miller, when he isn't drawing misogynist stripper and prostitute fantasies for 14-year-olds, is well-known for making moronic statements like the time he claimed, in 2007, that it was Iraq who declared war the U.S.
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From NPR:
"FM: Mainly in historical terms, mainly saying that the country that fought Okinawa and Iwo Jima is now spilling precious blood, but so little by comparison, it’s almost ridiculous. And the stakes are as high as they were then. Mostly I hear people say, ‘Why did we attack Iraq?’ for instance. Well, we’re taking on an idea. Nobody questions why after Pearl Harbor we attacked Nazi Germany. It was because we were taking on a form of global fascism, we’re doing the same thing now.

NPR: Well, they did declare war on us, but…

FM: Well, so did Iraq."
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As you read this, he's supposedly hard at work on an asinine "Batman vs. Al Queda" graphic novel. Seriously.

His fascistic Freeper-fantasies like "300" have been adapted by other directors with some success, but "The Spirit," his oh-so-dark take on comic legend Will Eisner's work was supposed to launch him into a lengthy and influential directing career of his own. Pity the movie was universally-panned and tanked. Altered from the source material and packed with sexist portrayals of women, vigilante violence and Nazi fetishes, it was Miller at his dumbest.

So here's to Frank Miller, who along with the creators of "An American Carol," once again proves that rightwingers are cinematic failures should have nothing to do with movie-making.

[LynneSin]

1. And Scarlett Johannson was in that movie - she supported Obama from the beginning

go figure.

Personally I don't get these graphic novels but then again I found out "Wanted" was from a graphic novel and I actually liked that movie.

[ACTION BASTARD]

10. If you liked the movie then please read the graphic novel

and you'll feel our rage over how incredible the movie could have been if they'd had stayed faithful to the original material.

What a great, great read that book was.

[derby378]

2. How is 300 considered FReeperish?

I rather enjoyed it. The battle of Thermopylae was one of the most distinctive battles in human history.

[Orsino]

3. Well, it completely ignores the lot of the helots...

...while painting the Spartans as heroic defenders of democracy. That's pretty freeperish.

[derby378]

5. I'll give you that...

Granted, it wasn't just the 300 Spartans who died at Thermopylae. But Texans feel the same way about the Alamo, and the Australians celebrate Gallipoli the same way. All three were battles at which the "good guys" got their asses kicked, and kicked hard, but they all portray what Australians and New Zealanders call the "Anzac Spirit," namely, the celebration of those who displayed reckless valor in defense of a good cause, who embody comradeship, innovation, and endurance in the face of overwhelming odds but refuse to acknowledge defeat.

Unfortunately, it's "the little people" who get left out of the history books, be they helots, messenger boys, etc.

[Deep13]

4. He rewrote it.

He omitted the enforced slavery of Sparta's neighbors to support their warrior lifestyle. He suggested that it was Athens that was tolerant of pederasty and not Sparta. Actually, Athens did tolerate it, but it was an institution in Sparta. The Spartan state was not ruled by priests. Modern notions of personal freedom had little application in the total institution of Sparta. It was Athens that actually promoted these ideas and it was Athens that survived until the present day. Sparta crumbled over the next two centuries.

And Thermopoly was at best a symbolic victory. It was the Athenian naval victory that really saved Greece from PErsian domination.

[derby378]

7. All valid arguments (n/t)

[Hanse]

11. And he converted the Spartans to Christianity, apparently.

Since they mock the elderly priests' paganism.

The best argument against 300 was Robot Chicken's 1776, which had the Redcoats wearing blackface.

[Rabrrrrrr]

6. I have been a HUGE Spirit fan for decades, and a fan of Eisner, and I won't see this garbage.

Just by previews of it, I can tell that Miller has idea what Eisner was doing, and no clue what in the fucking hell The Spirit was about, and (I'm sure) it's a total dishonor to Eisner.

I don't know for sure, since I won't see it. But judging from previews, I can't imagine how it could possibly be good in any way.

[leftyclimber]

12. Completely agreed.

Miller missed Eisner's point.

The Spirit is complex, and funny, and socially aware, and generally cool.

Miller is obsessed with the red tie and violence.

Totally not The Spirit.

[Frank Cannon]

28. Eisner's Spirit was almost MAD-magazinish in its detail and humor

It used "noir" techniques occasionally in order to parody that genre. It certainly never relied on them.

I think Frank Miller just read the "Lorelei Lane" issue and ended his research there.

[AmyDeLune]

22. A local Comics Professional, (has worked for all the Big Companies),

said that the big difference between Miller and Eisner is that Eisner loved humanity with all its flaws and quirks, he was a definitely a "glass half full" guy, while Miller hates people and is most certainly a "glass half empty" guy (particularly if the glass has scotch in it).

I'm not going to see it either, it looks more like Sin City II than The Spirit.

Too bad, 'cause the real Will Eisner's The Spirit would make a great film. *sigh*

[Frank Cannon]

27. I, too, am a big Spirit fan, and I agree completely

I could tell just from the previews that Miller completely missed what the Spirit was all about. I find it shocking that someone so revered in comics circles could screw something like that up so badly.

And it's sad, because if anyone deserved a long-overdue cinematic treatment by a competent filmmaker, it was Eisner's Spirit.

[LanternWaste]

8. I tend to...

I tend to separate the art from the artist.

It allows my enjoyment of the arts to be that much more, and allows me to more objectively critique whether I think a film/book/painting/piece of music is good or bad without the bias of my own political opinions dragging it down.

[Iggo]

9. I saw it.

It was lame. Other than Frank Miller and me liking the same kind of eye-candy, I'm not sure what the whole point was. Sin City was a million times better.

Don't waste your time and your money.

[ACTION BASTARD]

13. It's kind of a double edged sword isn't it?

If we don't go and it flops, future comic-movie projects get deemed as risky, and they stay with boring super-hero crap.

But yeah, I agree Miller is one of those guys that builds up a little momentum and then WHAM he puts out a dud (Robocop 3)and has to start back from scratch all over again.

Boo-fucking-hoo. Fuck you hard Frank.

[Frank Cannon]

29. If Sin City was a million times better...

then The Spirit must be REALLY bad, like on the sub-nano scale of quality.

[arcadian]

14. Batman vs Al Queda has become legendery in long anticipated releases.

It was up there with Chinese Democracy. Miller says that it has become something else and doesn't involve Batman anymore. I can't wait for it to come out so I can laugh at it.

[ACTION BASTARD]

31. I'm gonna look for torrents, cuz I ain't paying for this.

Though the possible comedy factor in all this has me mighty intrigued.

[Orrex]

15. Credit where due

Miller's reworking of Daredevil in the early 80's singlehandedly transformed the character from a half-assed third-stringer into a real dramatic force, and during Miller's run the title was at least as good as anything else being put out by mainstream comics.

His later reboot of Batman, both in The Dark Knight Returns and in Batman: Year One likewise transformed a character who'd become the poster child for all that was ridiculous in comics.

And he can't be dismissed as a simple misogynist, because he created two of the strongest (though damaged) female characters in comics (Elektra and Martha Washington). And in his work Ronin, the strongest character is also a woman (Casey). Further, his work on Sin City, though more than a little self-congratulatory, goes out of its way to portray most of the characters as more or less awful people, whether male or female. Yes, the women are scantily clad (if clad at all), but there's plenty of male full-frontal nudity as well.


Of course, his political insights are indistinguishable from those of a person who hasn't thought seriously about the subject in 20 or 30 years. Although some of his comic characters have a decidedly unilateral and Right-Wing vibe, others are either pointedly apolitical or hardcore liberals. One of the more interesting characters in The Dark Knight Returns is the Green Arrow, who is the epitome of the Liberal superhero.

But then you read Miller's comments in the various "letters" pages of his comics, and you get an understanding of his really fucked up political leanings. He's almost rabid in his support of free speech, but he also has that sort of weird quasi-Libertarian attitude that you get from people whose entire political argument is "taxation is theft." I find his ruminations on the subject juvenile and distasteful, and more than a little selfish.

Artistically, I like a lot of what he's done, and I dislike a lot of it, too. But personally I wouldn't want to talk with him for longer than it takes to wait for a bus. Of course, being a hardcore Libertarianesque RWer, Miller would never use public transportation, because that would be theft...

[semillama]

16. You're right on.

I didn't find The Spirit (the movie) to be political in any real sense, and thought Miller did a decent job of capturing the characters in the original series.

And as far as Eisner being all that progressive, please go back and look at how he drew black people...just sayin.

I'm glad you brought up Martha Washington, too. That and Hard Boiled were my introductions to Frank Miller, and both are quite astonishing pieces of art.

[Orrex]

17. Hard Boiled was my first exposure to Geoff Darrow

His art is kind of hard to look at, but it was exquisitely matched to the subject matter.


Years ago I chanced to find in our attic an old comics-page insert from the 40's. It was in poor condition and wouldn't have fetched more than a couple of dollars, but it featured a Spirt vignette, which was the first I ever read of him. The character of Ebony White was featured in the story, and his portrayal really disturbed me.

I believe that Eisner has expressed regret for the portrayal, but I can't find a source right now.

[Forkboy]

30. Off topic, but while I got you here.....

If you haven't already, you must must must check out the band Two Pin Din. It's Andy Kerr from Nomeansno with Wilf from The Dog Faced Hermans (an awesome punk band from years ago). Half the songs on the CD sound exactly like early Nomeansno (even though Two Pin Din is just two guitars and nothing else). Check out this song "Plan B" and tell me that isn't a Nomeansno tune.

Plan B
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raybfQ6zyRk

Improve Yourself!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_Oj4wosJ2Q


Here's their page. The CD is a steal at $9.99.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=81370193

[TK421]

18. The Spartans were nothing more than savages....I saw 300, I enjoyed the movie

but I have a few problems with that movie ( I realize this is off topic here..sorry ) Much of what was told in the movie was true.And I DO realize times were different back then, and the need arose for the violence in order to defend themselves....but the glorification of the violence is what grossed me out...they were no better than the fucking Romans ( more savages who...if I had my way, would have been wiped off the face of the Earth ) Romans...the fucking scum of our human history.....

[harmonicon]

19. wow, I had no idea that he was totally nuts

I used to be sort of into comics, but never read much of his stuff. I know that he's hugely influential as an artist (I have friends that make comics for a living, which is how I've learned the little bit about it that I know), and think it's nice, but.... whoa... what a nut.

[MrSlayer]

20. 300 was awesome.

Sin City was pretty good too. I have no interest in this one even though my man Sam Jackson is in it.

[Iggo]

23. Oh then please skip this movie.

Bad Sam's the lamest one in this flick. Um, maybe Scarlett Johansen. No wait. Eva Mendez.

Surprisingly, the kids who played the main characters in their younger years were quite good. In fact and in my opinion, if that had been the movie, it would've kicked ass.

[Blue_Tires]

21. they would have been better off making a movie

about the Crimson Avenger, since they seem so similar...Hell, DC needs to get off their asses and get me my Justice League movie already -- At least get me a Booster Gold/Blue Beetle one....But Miller probably would have turned that to shit anyways...

[DainBramaged]

24. Box office to date

Domestic Total as of Dec. 29, 2008: $11,484,325

Release Date: December 25, 2008

Widest Release: 2,509 theaters

As: 38 30.9%
Bs: 17 13.8%
Cs: 16 13.0%
Ds: 15 12.2%
Fs: 37 30.1%

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=spirit09.htm

Going up against a dog, a mouse, and Will Smith, that ain't bad.

[Blue_Tires]

25. and for the record, as i said before, '300' was craptacular

some of the hokiest dialogue i've ever paid money to see at the movies (and I won't go into the racial/cultural subtext and historical inaccuracies)...

unless of course 300 was meant to really be some kind brutal parody of the baby-oil-and-sandals movie era of the 50s and 60s--in that case it would be unrestrained satirical genius (but the movie takes itself a tad too seriously for me to believe that was the original intention)

[rcrush]

26. This movie was awful.

I'm glad Robert Rodriguez will be directing Sin City 2 and not let Frank Miller do it by himself. This movie was almost as cheeseball as Day The Earth Stood Still.