Spider-Man

When we first saw Spider-Man — in 2001

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

Apparently, August 1 is Spider-Man Day? Not sure when that decision was made, but the internet tells me it’s because Spider-Man’s debut in Amazing Fantasy #15 was in August 1962.

It’s surely not a coincidence, then, that someone — somewhere — restored the original teaser for the 2001 Spider-Man movie in high-definition for the occasion.

What’s the big deal? Unfortunately, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center are prominently featured in the teaser. After what happened on 9/11, that just couldn’t be shown anymore. The teaser has been available since then, but the quality of the video wasn’t very good — until now.

So if you’ve never seen it, this is the first time Spider-Man appeared on the big screen. It was just enough to ignite excitement for the movie coming the next year:

Superhero movies were still an uphill climb for audiences in 2001, so clever teasers that looked like a different kind of movie were the gateway to win people over. No, this wasn’t a Michael Bay-esque helicopter heist film! It’s Spider-Man!

Anything was now possible! A guy crawling up walls! Swinging through New York City — between those skyscrapers — on his webs! This was no longer something comic book and movie nerds dreamed about for 20-plus years!

Now that we live in an era when four or five superhero movies are released each year, this seems like such a long time ago. Spider-Man has now appeared in 10 live-action films, including Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. It’s always special, but there can only be one first time, right?

And, uh, 18 years ago is indeed a long time ago, Old Man.

[Slashfilm]

Overzealous Recycling 008: Welcome to this one-man show

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

This might be one of my more anti-social tendencies, but I enjoy going to the movies by myself. Mark Serrels planted his flag for solo moviegoing, calling it one of “life’s secret pleasures” in a piece for CNET, so I figured I’d share my feelings on the topic too.

— If you missed the last Overzealous Recycling, you can read it here —

Most people I know — and I presume most people you know — have a big hang-up about it, like going alone says something about you socially. Or maybe they just don’t like being by themselves in that kind of environment.

I totally understand. That was something I needed to get over too. And I feel the same way on a Friday or Saturday night, when it’s all couples at the theater. It feels awkward, especially if I’m unfortunate enough to be seated between two couples or groups. Most of my solo moviegoing is done during the day, and I imagine that’s the case for the majority of people who see a movie alone.

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Amusement Park Podcast 017: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Review

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

spider_trioIt’s a multiple universe thrill ride this week on the Amusement Park Podcast! We go into the Spider-Verse to review the latest Spider-Man movie, then jump to the Arrowverse’s different Earths to cover the CW’s Elseworlds crossover. No Crisis here!

https://soundcloud.com/casselberry/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse-review

Thank you for listening! If you’re enjoying our show, please give us a review on iTunes to boost our signal and/or a like on our Facebook page. You can reach us at amusementparkpod@gmail.com or on all the social media @amuseparkpod.

You can subscribe to the Amusement Park Podcast everywhere you find podcasts:

Amusement Park Podcast 015: The Into the Spider-Verse Hype Train is Real

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

spider_trio

The Amusement Park Podcast is back! This week, we cover the rave reviews for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Could it beat Aquaman at the box office? We also review The Grinch and Ralph Breaks the Internet. And which new Fall TV shows have we stuck with?

https://soundcloud.com/casselberry/the-into-the-spider-verse-hype-train-is-real

Please help boost our signal by posting a review on iTunes, if you enjoy what we’re doing. You can also give us feedback at amusementparkpod@gmail.com and on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @amuseparkpod. We’d love to hear from you. Thank you for listening!

You can subscribe to the Amusement Park Podcast everywhere you find podcasts:

Stan Lee left behind a legacy like no other

/ Ian Casselberry / 2 Comments

StanLee_thwip

Writing a tribute to Stan Lee was something I’d been thinking I should do for quite some time. After all, (Stan) the man was 95 years old and there were various reports about his deteriorating health. Just as a newspaper would get an obituary ready, I thought I should get something ready — whether the piece was written for another site or my own.

Sure, laziness and procrastination were probably the primary reasons for not getting that done. But the idea of writing something in anticipation of Stan Lee’s death was also very upsetting. He still appeared to be lively and vibrant in his many Marvel movie and TV cameos. It seemed as if Smilin’ Stan might just live forever.

Thanks to those movie cameos, even my sister knew who Stan Lee was. She grew up with me endlessly reading and collecting comic books, of course. But when I pointed out the guy who co-created Spider-Man on the screen, she recognized him every time he popped up in the handful of Marvel movies we saw together. She’ll never be able to escape superheroes entirely.

(By the way, will Lee’s last live-action cameo have been in Venom?) Unless he’s in Avengers 4, his final on-screen appearance may well be in the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which hits theaters in mid-December.)

There will and have already been so many tributes, eulogies and obituaries dedicated to Stan Lee that I’m not sure I could possibly add anything. All I can contribute is what Lee and his many iconic creations mean to me to this day. So often when people write a tribute to someone, the piece ends up being about the writer more than the subject. As much as I’d like to avoid that, I don’t think it’s possible here.

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