Who knew that Jennifer Aniston and a cute dog would be a juggernaut?The doggie movie "Marley & Me" starring Aniston and Owen Wilson made $51 million over the Christmas Day opening weekend pummeling director-writer Frank Miller's "The Spirit," which made $10.4 million.
I usually go to a movie on Christmas Day every year... yes, I chose "The Spirit," but what do you expect the Modern Mythologist to do?
Run home and cower from my wife's wrath for making her watch it? OK... I didn't cower, I took the bashing like a man. And this is after I said I wouldn't make her see another Eva Mendes flick. We expected to see "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," but family festivities rendered us too tired for a two-hour and forty-five minute film at 10 p.m. So the new movie that was under two hours and didn't star Aniston or Adam Sandler was our choice.
And heck, I just had a morbid curiosity to satisfy.
The reviews are hitting fast and furious at Miller and his vision for "The Spirit" -- some have not been very good. I'm not a hardcore review guy, but the movie isn't something I would recommend to everyone. There were illogical plot elements, an overabundance of Miller-style narration and even Samuel L. Jackson couldn't save it for me.
On the other hand...
The movie is visually impressive. Except for a point where there was a bloody moment that ended up looking like bird-crap splashed everywhere because of the film's colors. There were styles of campy, over-the-top performances that were entertaining from Mendes and Scarlett Johansson among others.
I could see some people digging on that stuff. In fact, the next morning I stopped at one of my regular coffee spots and one of the baristas I know to be quite an artsy person, had some nice things to say.
ARTSY BARISTA: Did you guys see "The Spirit?"
ME: Yup.
ARTSY BARISTA: Wasn't it awesome?
The earnest enthusiasm in her eyes told me everything I needed to know. It told me that while there is no general audience for something like "The Spirit," there will be a cult audience that will sing its praises while they buy it on DVD.
At the San Diego Comic-Con, Frank Miller will be greeted like a hero by this contingent and they will tell him everyone didn't understand this film like we did -- It'll be just like how no one loved "Blade Runner" at first. Way to go Frank!
This audience will be small but this group of viewers will be the ones to appreciate the visual audacity and the tossing of typical old plot logic to the winds. Why not? If it's art done by a popular comic artist-writer then you have the option to appreciate this film, love it or hate it, as an expensive piece of pop art.
I thought about all that as I sipped my coffee and hoped I was only hallucinating because I haven't had my caffiene fix yet.
We'll discuss more about Frank Miller later...
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