Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Spider-Man 3

Grade: B

(PG-13; 140 minutes)

The humor is broader, the emotion more overwrought, the effects faster and fancier.

While “Spider-Man 3″ adds little to the legend developed in the first two blockbusters, it takes off on enough tangents to keep you munching your popcorn and not feeling gypped for almost 2-1/2 hours.

With three villains (four if you count that slinky space parasite), at least one identity crisis and a twisted romantic triangle, the summer’s first big action flick has nearly as many subplots as stunts.

It even has a few overlong, serious conversations for those who can time their restroom breaks.

In other words, this is just what you expect from a comic-book sequel.

Director Sam Raimi, reportedly operating on a record-setting $250-million budget, keeps the faith with fans. He preserves the Marvel Comic visual style and the internal conflicts that are mandatory in that universe. Neither heroes nor villains are pure good or evil. Spidey himself turns into something of a creep when an alien glob sneaks into his psyche and alter ego Peter Parker seems to think he’s Mr. Saturday Night Fever. (The nightclub scene with Parker showing off is funny but extraneous. A lesser director would have found that sequence exiled to the DVD outtakes section.)

Tobey Maguire doesn’t look all that excited to be playing Spidey/Parker a third time, but his dispirited attitude fits the character, whose world is all good when the story starts and then rapidly falls apart. Kirsten Dunst, as his unrequited love Mary Jane Watson, shares that sense of quiet resignation, although she can still unleash a scream when the occasion calls for it. (Is falling off a damaged high-rise considered an “occasion”?)

As in most superhero films, the bad guys provide the best moments. And this movie has strong actors in all three wicked spots.

James Franco returns as Harry Osborn, the heir to a sci-tech fortune who was Parker’s pal but who hates Spider-Man because Osborn’s dad was the Green Goblin in the first film and Spidey was there when GG died. (Willem Dafoe makes a cameo this time around.) And for a while, everything’s fine between Harry and Parker. As Parker says more than once during his adventures, ”It’s complicated.”

In a spectacular early chase sequence that might make you wish you’d taken Dramamine beforehand, Harry skims through streets and alleys on an accessorized, gravity-proof skateboard while Spidey slings webs from building to building to keep up. It’s the first of several times when our friendly neighborhood superhero takes a mighty pounding.

The next baddie is escaped convict Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church in a radical departure from his grand “Sideways” showing). This guy turns really bad when he’s accidentally “demolecularized” and turned into a huge, malevolent dust storm of vaguely humanoid shape — although he can fly away like a swirling cloud if need be. This grainy, grotesque monster is called Sandman, and he, too, causes massive problems for our hero.

Then there’s Venom, aka hot-shot press photographer Eddie Brock (Topher Grace, from “That ’70s Show” and “Traffic”). Grace’s not-so-subtle sarcasm fits the role perfectly: Eddie’s an aggressive, cocky sort whose personality worsens when … ah, you’ll guess it soon enough.

Cameo faves reappear. That would be “Spider-Man” creator Stan Lee with his usual single line, and Raimi buddy Bruce Campbell as a hilariously snooty maitre d’ with a wondrously mocking French accent. J.K. Simmons is back as abrasive but amusing newspaper editor Jonah Jameson and Bryce Dallas Howard joins the cast as a police chief’s daughter who adds an extra tangle or two to the ongoing romantic confusion.

For emotional content, we get those long chats between Parker and his beloved Aunt May (the magnificent Rosemary Harris), as well as the turbulent, on-and-off relationship between Parker-Spidey and Mary Jane Watson.

Still, the most vivid stars here are the special effects crews. Dizzying, dazzling digital aerobatics dominate to the point of sensory overload.

Could ”Spider-Man 3″ be too much of a good thing? Nah. Just make sure you have enough popcorn.

Do you remember this? August 12, 2005 in the St. Pete Times - Sky bridge to add artistic flair downtown:

TAMPA - City Council members on Thursday approved building a sky bridge over Franklin Street between the Tampa Convention Center and the Embassy Suites Hotel now under construction.

But it won’t be just an ordinary sky bridge.

It will be a work of art.

New Orleans artist Mimi Moncier incorporated colored resin circles into the bridge to cast prisms of sunlight across the open-air walkway’s floor.

The city requires developers in Tampa’s central business district to spend 0.75 percent of their project’s cost on public art, up to $200,000. The open-air bridge, accessible from the sidewalk below as well as the two buildings it connects, fulfills the public art requirement for the hotel.

Robin Nigh, who administers the city’s public art program, wouldn’t comment on the aesthetics of the project.

“It meets the definition of public art,” she said.

I’ll let you decide. Take a look below. You can see other photos here: Inside artwork, walking along the bridge, from down below.

Hmmm…. After reading my suggestion that School Board member April Griffin should use her campaign blog, she went one better, and started a new one. Griffin’s Sound Off And Be Heard starts with an open ended question:

What do you think are the most pressing issues?

My opinion and expectations of the Buccaneers are at their lowest level since 1994… I don’t say this because of simply the flip between winning and losing seasons but I do mean overall direction of the franchise and it’s descent into mediocrity.

That being said, I’m not going to go into talking draft stuff. No sir, there are at least three great Buccaneer sites that will have the bases covered for you come Saturday when the Bucs screw up make their selection.

Make sure you check out Buc’Em which has ongoing draft coverage as well as a poll about who should be the Bucs #1 pick. And if you need more and want a little more razz, snark and color — make sure you drop in on Sticks of Fire contributor ski and his Best Bucs Blog with in depth discussion of mock drafts, in depth mocking of past drafts, etc…

Of course if you want no seriousness whatsoever and like your satire well done concerning the Buccaneers — get toxic with the Red Tide News. It may not be up to date or up to the minute but Toe and company keep you laughing and have so for years now.

And for what it’s worth, you could stop by and participate on FanHome’s Football forums and talk draft with the junkies over there.

No other sporting event will be as widely watched this weekend as the NFL Draft, which is somewhat surprising considering the closest any of the players come to an athletic field is the green room. Much like College Basketball’s Selection Sunday, the NFL Draft has transformed from a non-event to Must See TV. Last year’s draft on ESPN pulled a 5.8 rating for the first three hours on Saturday. By comparison, the next closest sporting event that weekend (an NBA playoff game) pulled a 4.3, and afternoon college football on ESPN on average draws a 2.0. The NFL Draft has become an insatiable ratings juggernaut.

This year’s draft should be one of the more entertaining in recent history, since it is the first time in a while that nobody knows how the top five picks will play out….which is undoubtedly keeping Gruden and company up late at night. It is no secret Gruden adores Calvin Johnson but the question remains, will CJ be available at #4 when the Bucs pick? Let’s run down the odds on who the Bucs will take in the first round, starting with the least likely.

Gaines Adams - de - Clemson: 10%

To be honest I am somewhat surprised by Adams rise up the draft boards. He is a legit pick….unlike Mario Williams last year, scouts have considered Adams a first round pick since the beginning of the season. But there are other defensive ends in the draft with skill sets similar to Adams who can be had much later (i.e. Quentin Moses). Plus, Simeon Rice looks healthy and should be back this season so the Bucs do not have a pressing need at defensive end.

Amobi Okoye - dt - Lousiville: 15%

If the Bucs go defense in the first round Okoye, the Sapp-like prodigy, is the more likely choice. Okoye is the extremely rare 20 year old college grad who entered Louisville when he was 16. The Bucs desperately need somebody to replace Booger and there is no better candidate than Okoye. If the Bucs don’t draft a defensive tackle in the first round it is a lock they will do so in the second or third rounds (i.e. Turk McBride or Marcus Thomas).

Joe Thomas - ot - Wisconsin: 30%

The left tackle is the most important position on the offense after the quarterback, since left tackles face the best pass rusher on the defense. Thomas appears to have that rare combination of size and agility required to play one of the most demanding positions in football. It should not surprise you that I think Thomas is the smart pick for the Bucs, while CJ is the sexy pick. The Bucs have a lot of question marks at tackle and Thomas would provide a pretty damn good answer.

Calvin Johnson - wr - Georgia Tech: 45%

I saved the best for last. If Gruden were to create the perfect receiver he could do little better than CJ, an egoless, hard-working, intelligent, competitive and athletically-gifted receiver. The only problem with CJ is that he may be off the board by the time the Bucs pick. There are multiple scenarios with Detroit doing everything from trading from #2 with a team like Atlanta, to Detroit drafting CJ and then selling him to the highest bidder, to Detroit drafting CJ and trading their other receivers to keep CJ.

———————-

I think the Bucs will end up with Joe Thomas come Saturday, which isn’t a bad thing. CJ has too much value attached to him for Detroit to simply pass him up. That being written, Thomas is a pretty damn good pull for the Bucs for a variety of reasons I go into at length at my own blog.

And a quick reminder, BucStats is having a draft contest where you can win a Buc Gear gift certificate for $50 or a draft day Buc hat.

From the “Ask a Tampan” files:

ShedMan Paul is looking for old images of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s “Kick Ice” promotion:

Hi, years ago I worked at an ad agency in Tampa called Earle Palmer Brown. Among other things I wrote/created the introductory campaign for the Tampa Bay Lightning “Kick Ice.” Because of a major meltdown of my hard drive I am trying to retrieve different samples of work I did at different places. So, I was wondering if you or anyone you know might have a photo of any of the old Kick Ice billboards, bus transit posters or anything like that. Thank you.

I don’t know where to find this - do you?

When I speak at schools and civic groups, my topic is usually the same: Everyone’s a critic.

It’s true. You buy a ticket and speak your mind. Indeed, the single most important factor when people decide to see a movie is word of mouth: You are more likely to heed a friend’s recommendation than respond to ads or critics.

As one features editor recently put it, “We’re getting away from expertise.”

So now the Trib, having jettisoned its critic, is making do with Associated Press reviews. But they’ve added a trendy new wrinkle as Tommy D. just reported: Local film fans can apply to serve on a panel of unpaid reviewers, who will attend screenings and render opinions.

Hey, why not? In my nearly 22 years on the job, I never suggested that my opinion was inherently superior to anyone else’s. I simply tried to bring perspective and information to the table, so people who did read reviews could make, one hopes, more satisfying decisions at the ticket booth.

Maybe a panel of amateurs will do the job just as well. Maybe the new reviewing process will be seen as innovative rather than pitifully cheap and small-time.

Meanwhile, this old downsized dude carries on. We hope to have our Tampa Digital webcast going soon. Among the new releases we’ve seen lately:

“Next” (PG-13): What is up with Nicolas Cage? After flaming his skull in “Ghost Rider” he blankets his pate with a hideous yuppie wig in this mildly freaky suspense thriller about a seedy Las Vegas lounge magician who has a truly supernatural gift: He can see a minute or two into the future. It’s not much good for long-range planning, but it helps him earn a living making small bets.

The government learns of his talent and grabs him to help hunt for a renegade nuke in Los Angeles. About the same time, he falls for a much younger woman (Jessica Biel), who becomes a hostage as the feds pressure him to cooperate.

The film starts with gratifying energy and clever twists, but director Lee Tamahori (”Die Another Day”) and a team of screenwriters can’t sustain the strength past the midway mark. Based on a story by Philip K. Dick, Next” bludgeons an intriguing premise into pointless mush.

C-

“The Condemned” (R): The pro-wrestling school of drama sends another graduate to the big screen in this action-packed, brain-dead fight fest. This time it’s Steve Austin, living up to his “stone cold” stage name, as a reluctant gladiator sent to your basic remote island. That’s where 10 hardened tough guys duke it out, with the sole survivor winning his freedom. It’s great if all you want to see is brawny hulks swinging fists, sticks and whatever they can find at each other. A grunt-and-groan slugfest.

D

With the approval of new designs and expansions, Old West Tampa’s Intown Homes will now be moving to build a total of about 150 new homes in the core blocks just north of the interstate and surrounding N. Howard and Armenia. A late night vote of the Council last night did not come without some serious discussion.

Intown President Ed Turanchik beamed with pride as he talked of his neighborhood commitment and efforts to improve the old West Tampa neighborhood. Almost 20 citizens spoke at the meeting and most voiced support of the homes and Intown’s efforts. The Overlay District/CDC group had recommended against approval of the expansion. Council member Gwen Miller was most supportive of the CDC’s opinion, but Council member John Dingfelder expressed it clearly that the CDC group and the City Staff were there to provide input and suggestions to the Council, but “at the end of the day, it is the Council that will decide this.”

Of special note at the meeting were the residents that expressed concern about being forced to sell their homes/lots or of being forced to make changes to their homes. Council member Charlie Miranda provided a fatherly type of reassurance to the public that they would only sell their homes if they wanted to.

Most of the controversy centered around the design of those homes with a flat roof that the Overlay District members did not like. Ed Turanchik’s presentation showed that this was not an uncommon roof design from the area’s past, but the main justification was the cost savings of approximately $10,000 per home by building a flat roof, making the homes more affordable.

Turanchik claimed that the Intown homes are the only affordable, energy efficient, environmentally green homes in Tampa. He further indicated that the energy efficiency level would save residents 40-60% on their energy usage - a significant number.

The offices of the Tampa Marketing Company are surrounded by the new Intown Homes and lots where additional homes are planned.

In my opinion, the area has improved significantly with Intown’s efforts and we believe as one citizen stated: “If you don’t like the flat roof, just don’t buy it. Let the marketplace decide.”

See TMC’s additional thoughts of West Tampa and Intown Homes.