Your Stupid Minds. Your Stupid Little Minds

One thing that really bothers me is when a brilliant film, album, or video game is released, and no one notices....
It's a constant source of frustration, as I generally seem to gravitate towards things that just don't appeal to most folks. Why is it that, say, friggin' Nickleback gets played on the radio 45615184312 times a day while a great band like Marcy Playground was only granted one annoying hit 15 years ago? Who decided that Arrested Development should get poor ratings while Dancing with the Stars remains a television hit for three years running?? How come generic first person shooters continue to be top sellers while works of art such as Okami and Beyond Good and Evil go largely overlooked by gamers???

(Gamers, you ought to be ashamed for skipping these two gems.)

And how the heck did Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World bomb so hard at the box office?

Scott Pilgrim Versus The World (2010)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0446029/


Netflix description:
When dreamy delivery girl Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) starts popping up in his life, slacker musician Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) takes notice. But to win the love of this rollerblading goddess, Scott must vanquish all seven of her evil exes in martial arts battles. Based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novels, director Edgar Wright's action-packed romcom also stars Anna Kendrick, Brandon Routh and Chris Evans.

Yeah, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. It came out last year with high expectations, and was greeted by the ticket buying public with a faint "Meh." Whatever. What does the public know, anyway?

Nothing, friends. Absolutely nothing.

This movie was awesome! It's witty, exciting, funny, and innovative. And I don't care how nerdy it is, either. That's all part of its charm.

So, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is the comic book and video game-inspired story of Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera), a 20-something geek who plays bass in a band called Sex Bob-Omb. He's kind of a loser -- perpetually in between jobs and mooching off his gay roommate (played by an oddly deformed-looking Kieran Culkin). Scott's been on the rebound from a painful break-up that happened, like, a year ago, and is now dating a semi-psychotic high school chick. Yes, things, in general, don't look too promising for our new buddy when we catch up with him.

But that changes in short order. See, Scott meets the girl of his dreams (literally) at a party one night. Her name is Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) , and she's what you might call a "free spirit." Not only that, but she's also somewhat of a mystery.

Scott doesn't care, though. He falls instantly in love with this hot punk-like chick and dumps his poor high school girlfriend. That Ramona dame is simply too good to pass up.

...Or IS she?


I mentioned that Ramona is a mystery. Well, turns out that she's got a bit of a past. In fact, Scott learns that she has seven evil exes (note that I said "exes," not "ex-boyfriends") who have formed a sort of League of Dumped Dudes. These villains will stop at nothing to prevent Ramona from ever dating anyone else again. Scott must defeat each of them if he wishes to keep her around as his main squeeze.

Now, keep in mind that Scott Pilgrim is a giant wuss. I mean, just LOOK at him. This is Michael Cera we're talking about here, folks. There's no way he could do battle with seven strong fellas who all have superpowers.

...Unless, that is, it turns out that HE has superpowers, too.


And he does. See, what's interesting about Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is how it treads the line between reality and all-out fantasy. One moment, we're watching a scene of a downtrodden Scott being verbally abused by his sister, and the next, we see him round housing Ramona's ex-boyfriend 30 feet in the air with sparks raining down from his feet. This film repeatedly departs the realm of the real and then comes back again. Interesting how it's all so seamless.

I won't spoil the rest of the story for you, but let me say that the whole deal culminates in the same way that a video game would. If fact, the movie itself is like a giant video game. Seriously -- the references and imagery here are unmistakable and hilarious. It's obvious that director Edgar Wright is my kind of dude. He deserves a gold star for this incredible effort.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World takes filmmaking to a new level in the way that The Matrix once did. Action, humor, and drama and blended perfectly here with impressive special effects. I've never seen a film so loaded with messages and references that actually manages to remain coherent.

It really is too bad the public chose to skip this one.


I suspect Scott Pilgrim's poor box office numbers had something to do with star Michael Cera. His high-pitched voice and super skinny frame was cool with movie goers as long as it was restricted to supporting roles or teen comedies, but once Hollywood tried to portray Cera as a cool leading man in an action picture, folks just wouldn't buy it.

But I disagree with that perception in the first place. I mean, it's not like Cera is supposed to be tough or anything in Scott Pilgrim; he's just supposed to be, like, magical. You know -- it's a friggin' NERD FANTASY PICTURE, for Cripe's sake! Give it a chance!!!


But don't get me wrong: I'm not saying that Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is exactly Oscar worthy. Indeed, I wouldn't even call it a five star picture (I suspect that it might start to drag on multiple viewings). I'm just saying that Pilgrim does things I've never really seen a film do before...and as a bonus, it does them skillfully and smartly.

Again, almost all kudos must go to Edgar Wright, who is fast becoming the most interesting filmmaker in Hollywood. First, the man gives us Shaun of the Dead, and now this. I think Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World was his one shot at spending a huge amount of money to make the geek film that guys like me had been waiting for all these years -- a highly-produced, 60 million dollar mega thrill with lots of comic book and video game gags. Enjoy it, nerds, because there will probably never be another movie quite like this.

Funny, sexy, exhilarating, interesting, and beautifully-paced, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World was a fresh surprise. Give this picture a rental at the very least, as it is a movie that deserves to be noticed.

Hey, I guarantee that it beats the ever-loving snot out of every musclebound superhero-action CG fest you've ever seen.

4 out of 5.

b.