Best & Worst Film Adaptations of Comic Books

Inspired by a recent email thread, I'm soliciting opinions about the best and worst film adaptations of (reasonably well-known) comic books, preferably of the costumed/super-hero variety.

1. My top three, in no particular order: Batman Begins - Christian Bale is the best Batman, period (slight edge over Keaton), and the rest of the cast is awesome also; can't believe Frank Miller didn't get script credit though, plenty of nods to Year One and Dark Knight Returns. Tank Girl - fun movie, well-integrated comic-art cut scenes. Spider-Man 2 - both of Raimi's spider-movies are excellent, I'm just picking this one b/c Doc Oc was always one of my favorite baddies. Just missed my cut: Tim Burton's Batman, X-Men 2.

2. Worst three - so many to choose from here, and I haven't even seen the Fantastic Four or Hulk yet (although I know several people who really liked Hulk). And I'm not even going to link to Catwoman. I'm gonna have to go with Superman IV, which introduced us to Nuclear Man (anyone remember him?). Batman Forever, one of Schumacher's disasters, has to be next; could acting talent be wasted any more than Tommy Lee Jones' was as Two-Face? Fortunately, not many people saw the 1990 version of Captain America, which featured J.D. Salinger's actor son Matt as Captain A(wful).

Upcoming films, which certainly have the potential to make these lists:

• Jon Favreau-directed Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr., due out in 2008.
• Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, 2007 release.
• Ghost Rider, starring Nicholas Cage. This could be spectacularly terrible.
• Wonder Woman, directed and written by Joss Whedon. Intriguing...
• Spider-Man 3, with Venom! I'm stoked, dudes!
• The Dark Knight, the next Nolan Batman, with Heath Ledger as the Joker (2008).
• X-Men prequel, Wolverine, 2008.
  

Tunneling

A big part of my job right now is building and running simulations to support the design of sewer overflow storage tunnels in DC. There are similar tunnel systems in Detroit, Chicago, and a handful of other places, and most of them are massive. DC is no exception; tunnel diameters from 15 to 30+ feet, depths of up to 100 feet below the surface. They're built using tunnel boring machines (TBMs), which are used for all large diameter tunneling projects these days, including road/transit tunnels.

Maybe I'm just a big engineering geek, but these things are pretty damn cool. They're custom-made for each job, taking into account desired diameter and rock/soil conditions. They not only do the drilling, but the apparatus behind the drills lines the tunnel also. And my understanding is that since they're usually expensive to extract once the job is done (plus since they're custom-made, re-use isn't likely), they're left in the ground when the drilling is complete. Eleven of these beasts were used on the Channel Tunnel.

Here's a promotional video that shows how these babies work.

The Wizard of Ounce?

OK, I'm not the biggest Wizard of Oz fan, and I've never read any of the original books, but I was still surprised that I had never heard of this take on the story.

Am I alone here, or is this a new chunk of trivia for most people?

Last Minute Shopping Idea, Courtesy of SNL

Don't know what to get that special someone this Christmas? Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg have a suggestion (from last night's hilarious episode).

Here are a few more highlights. If NBC was smart, they'd replay this next weekend in prime time, instead of stale old Christmas cartoons (other than the Grinch, who kicks ass):

Opening Monologue Christmas Song w/Alvin & the Chipmunks

Cup-O-Soup/Homelessville

Celtic Solstice

Yesterday, Barry and I ran in the 7th Annual Celtic Solstice Five Miler in Druid Hill Park. It was a new race for both of us, and we both enjoyed it. Nice weather, fantastic course layout, and - unlike other races of mine this year - I was very pleased with the result; an overall time of 40:27, with all five mile splits faster than 8:30. No, I didn't set any land speed records, but those are decent numbers for me, and that's all that really counts, right?

Any runners or would-be runners out there, I would highly recommend this race. The course is of moderate difficulty but very manageable, the field is large but not too large (about 2K registered runners, 1500+ finishers), the premium is awesome every year, and the post-race food & beverage spread is top-notch. Plus, several people run in kilts, and there are a bagpipes player and drummer out on the course. Also, you run right past the statue of William Wallace that's at one end of Druid Hill Lake. Very Scottish. We certainly got lucky with good weather, but I personally think it still would have been fun if it were below freezing (like last year, when it snowed).

Blogger Upgrade, Tags, Site Feed

I just recently upgraded my blogger account to Blogger Beta, which lets one add tags to blog posts (among other new features). I've been slowly going through and adding tags, but when I do that it seems that the RSS feed considers it a new entry. So if use use a reader, sorry about that.

Flickr "Christmas Egg"

I saw this on Lis' blog, who got it from her friend Bill (credit where it's due, after all): Flickr's Christmas Easter Egg - egg nog, maybe? - that lets you add certain notes to photos that will show up as Santa hats and beards. Check it out on my Flickr page if you want to see it in action. [Update - it looks like you have to view an individual photo for the note to show up, it doesn't show up on the index page]

Wow, the notes feature is kinda cool unto itself, I had never used it before...

Mary Cheney

Today's Howard Kurtz column focuses on the attention given to Mary Cheney's pregnancy. His argument, right up near the front in paragraph two, is that it's unfair to her because she didn't ask to be a vice-president's daughter. I would agree - of course she didn't ask for that - but she did voluntarily work on her father's campaigns, campaigns that were based in part on willfully denying legal rights to a group of which she is a member. And while I appreciate any attempts to try to change bigoted thinking from within, it still reeks of sleeping with the enemy, dancing with the devil, et cetera [insert equally tired metaphor here]. Similar to my utter bafflement that a group like the Log Cabin Republicans can exist, it's difficult for me to be very sympathetic towards someone who's been employed by a White House political machine that courts the votes of the intolerant, who are attacking her now for exercising her right to have a kid.

Put it this way: her father is the political equivalent of Darth Vader, that makes her Leia - or Luke, I suppose. If Leia had worked for the Empire, (but secretly hoped to change it into a kinder, gentler force for evil) would any tears have been shed were she onboard the Death Star when Luke blew it up at the end of the first movie? Nope.

For All The Lovecraft/Illuminati Fans

Bring Cthulu home for the holidays! (isn't he cute?!?)

Pity the Congress

Democrats are making Congress work more days next year, so what do poor widdle Wepublicans do? They whine about it:

"Keeping us up here eats away at families," said Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), who typically flies home on Thursdays and returns to Washington on Tuesdays. "Marriages suffer. The Democrats could care less about families -- that's what this says."

This is so tragic, I can hardly hold back the tears. These people get paid to "work" about half the hours of a typical taxpayer, and get a six-figure salary. Just when I thought that the GOP was incapable of disgusting me any further...

Are 'Good Losses' a Myth? O Christmas Tree!

I had never bought into the idea of the 'good loss', but yesterday's loss to Notre Dame might change my thinking. MD looked a lot like last year's team for good portions of the game - and that is not a compliment. Too much individual play, too many careless passes, not nearly enough 3-point defense.

We already have our Chirstmas tree this year, unlike last year's ten-days-before-Christmas purchase. There's just something very comforting about coming home from work in December, when it's already dark out, to the tree lights peeking through the blinds on the front window. It's not a big tree, but it's got a good shape, and is quite healthy considering its sundering from its roots. It could be a lot taller considering how high our first-floor ceiling is, but this isn't the year for us to be buying a $80 or $100 tree - a $50 tree suits well enough.

Terps in ESPN Power 16

Looks like I wasn't alone in being impressed by the win at Illinois two nights ago. ESPN has the Terps as the 2nd-highest ACC team in its first Power 16 of the year. Yeah, I know, that and $5 will get you a Grande Mocha Ginseng Latte at Starbucks. But still, kinda cool.

Luke Winn over at Sports Illustrated digs the Turtles also.

Venezuelan Amphetamine

When I read about Gary Williams' freshmen this pre-season, gaurd Greivis Vasquez was described as someone who plays with a lot of emotion. Uh-oh, that's sportswriter code, meaning that he makes up for a lack of talent with a lot of high-energy play, right?

Not really. Turns out, at least in the early going, that the kid has plenty of talent. And describing his game as high-energy doesn't quite do it justice, either. Anyone who watched Maryland's solid win in Champaign, Illinois last night could see it; this guy loves to play almost as much as Gary loves yelling at his players! I know, hard to believe, but true. He was also the best player on the floor in the second half last night; he was the difference in getting the win in a very hostile road environment, and with the Terps missing one of their starters. Win or lose though, he'll be fun to watch over the next few years.

Terps are 8-0, up next - Notre Dame in D.C. on Sunday.

Dusting off the Carboy

It's been years since I've done any homebrewing, but that's changed for the better in the past few weeks, as I now have a partner in brewing. Barry has already proved to be a bit impatient about the whole process - no Dad, we can't drink it yet - but it's more fun (and less work) with two people, so I think we'll be able to sustain operations and not have another three year haitus.

We've got two batches going now, a Scotch Ale that will be ready to drink just before Christmas, and a German Dunkel that will be ready...when it's ready.

Let's see, what else; the new Bond film, Casino Royale, is excellent, if a bit on the long side (2 1/2 hours).

I saw this bizzare boat docked at the Inner Harbor last night when I went running - certainly doesn't look like any boat I've ever seen before, and it runs on biodiesel. In March it begins an attempt to break the record for circumnavigating the globe by boat; the record is currently 75 days, set in 1998.

Finally, for the uninitiated - an explanation for this post's title. Here are some carboys, aka fermentation vessels.

Who's a Big Winner?

The Dems have taken back the House, and have at shot at the Senate as well. But other than the obvious winners (Dems) and big losers (GOP), who else wins, if the Democrats do their jobs? Here are my thoughts:

• The United States. I was worried after the 2004 election that the nation, collectively, wasn't too bright. It appears as though we do have the capability to vote smartly, we're just a bit slow.
• The World. Any checks on His Shruberiness' power are good for the world at large; one never knows who may be next on his hit list.
• Science & Technology. Honest, factual discussions about global warming and alternative energy sources may actually make their way to Capitol Hill!
• Nancy Pelosi. As the first female Speaker in history, she's poised to bring the radical homosexual agenda to Washington. Thank God! The radical warmongering criminal tyrannical cowboy agenda hasn't been working out too well, time to try a new direction.
• Stewart & Colbert. Their Midterm Midtacular election coverage was better than anything on CNN and MSNBC by far.
• James Carville. If not for him, that bloviating gasbag Bill "one-armed-bandit" Bennett would have displayed even more arrogance during CNN's coverage, if that's possible (how full of yourself do you need to be to write multiple books on morality? What a prick). Fortunately, Carville shut him up for a few minutes with the subtlest of jabs - a mention of an inconsequential casino ballot initiative. The Rajin' Cajun' strikes again!
  

Return of the Weekend, Electioneering Villainy

I was studying for the PE for a good two and a half months, and while I certainly wasn't in total seclusion, large portions of my weekends were eaten up. This past weekend was busy too, but in a good way; a birthday party for a former co-worker Friday night, an awesome afternoon in front of the TV Saturday afternoon, watching every minute of the Terps' big win at Clemson, and a challenging yet fun cross-country 8K on Sunday. Plus, we met my parents' new kitties, Csaba and Zigana - and introduced them to Marty - and we also got the final craptacular Star Wars prequel out of the way (no, I don't think it was better than the first two, it was just as insufferable; thankfully I'll never have to watch any of those three ever again!). This is the part where I promise photos on Flickr, but honestly, I doubt I'll get around to it anytime soon. That's just how it is.

Today is, of course, Election Day [Sponsored by Diebold - "Gee, we really hope all this crap works"]. And what better way to extend the Halloween season, than with some election day tricks? Seems that during the last few elections, it's the GOP that has been caught trying to suppress votes, while in the 60's, it was the Dems inflating votes all over the place. So which is worse, stopping a live person from voting, or ensuring that a dead citizen's vote is counted? And what do these styles of electioneering say about the respective parties? It sure would be nice if the Greens/Libertarians/etc. got in on this; then perhaps we'd have an alternative to two-party rule at some point.

Back in Business

Now that I have the PE (Professional Engineer) exam out of the way, I can get back to some writing. Unfortunately, I probably won't have much time today, so I'll just link to some solid, if somewhat intuitive, observations about next week's election, courtesy of one of the bloggers over at Balkinization.

The point about Senate over-representation by small states has always been a fascinating argument to me, because I believe that the original intent of the Constitution was to ensure that smaller states had an equal say in national affairs. But why? Why should a vote in North Dakota count much more, in terms of the make-up of the Senate, than a vote in New York? And will that advantage in small states that Republicans still be around in 50 years, as Midwest and Great Plains states' traditional industries continue to die out, concentrating populations in those states' big cities, complete with large immigrant populations and racial, ethnic, and cultural -gasp- diversity? This is based on my assumption that the charming people in fillinnameofredstate wouldn't be nearly as terrified of all those people that didn't look and act like them, if they had a few more of them living next door. Call me naive, it's just a hunch.

Charlie Brown for Congress?

I don't know, this guy's head doesn't look round enough. But he's a Dem, and is running against eight-term Republican incumbent John Doolittle, so good luck to him. Hope he wears the yellow and black shirt (he's gotta own one, right?) to his victory party.

Africa Bound!

It's a done deal - we recently sent in our deposit and purchased our plane tickets for our two-week Tanzanian safari in early '07. We're certainly excited about it, now once I get the P.E. exam out of the way, I can concentrate on outfitting for this trip. We've already got most of the clothing and other gear covered, but we're probably going to need some additional photographic equipment; extra lenses for digital cameras - for what that's worth, they're nice cameras, but not super-nice digital SLRs - and some kind of way to store digital photos so we don't have to buy dozens of memory cards and sticks. And then, of course, there's the camoflouge.

That's right, every trip can be spiced up with a little bit of ugly-Americanism. I'm planning on passing myself off as an up-and-coming soldier-of-fortune, in Africa for the first time scouting the terrain and getting to know local customs and wildlife. Then, the last half of the trip will be the training portion, where I practice my fighting skills by sneaking up on wildlife and punching and/or kicking them, and then running away.

Why no weapons, you ask? First, I don't have any. Second, try bringing them on a plane these days. But most important, what kind of soldier-of-fortune would I be if I couldn't fight a lion with my bare hands? How would I expect the UN peacekeepers to hire me on for their secret UN asskicking unit that's going to finally restore order in the Sudan? Tanzania and its carnivores will serve as my proving ground for that conflict. Wish me luck!

I Couldn't Resist

I know, no political posts for the rest of the month is what I promised, so I'll just link to this item w/o comment, and let it speak for itself. Keith Olbermann's ratings on MSNBC are up 69% since August 30, perhaps because of segments like this.