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List Price: $9.98 | | Label: Lions Gate
Salesrank: 75879
Released: September 3, 2002 |
| Our Price: $2.36 |
| Used Price: $2.36 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Told from the point of view from archie a comic book collector this is the story of a rivalry between two comic book shop owners. One does it for the love of comics while the other shop run by a husband-&-wife team are in it strictly for the money. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 09/14/2004 Starring: Donal Logue D J Qualls Run time: 92 minutes Rating: R
Comic Book Villains Reviews:
Who cannot relate to this, has never bought a piece of art, I think. 
2009-11-23 - This movie was originally available in a VHS format.
The DVD was released in 2002.
The following quote (not mine) basically sums up what the movie is about:
"Told from the point of view from Archie, a comic book collector,
this is the story of a rivalry between two comic book shop owners.
One does it for the love of comics, while the other shop, run by a
husband-and-wife team are in it strictly for the money. The
situation brews to a head when a sneak collector, Conan discovers
a large collection of perfectly-preserved classic comics, leading the
two shops to vie to acquire them, along with a "villain" who hopes to
steal them first." - Ryan McIntosh
A line from the movie:
"After all that had happened, life and the living of it seemed too fleeting
to waste in one place or on arguing whether Superman was stronger than
the Hulk." - Archie
Unfortuantely, what ruins this movie is profanity, and references to comics
outside the sphere of DC and Marvel. The sad truth is the amount of comic
books that were written to defile boys, because they promoted sexual
immorality. Some comic books were, and are, written by sodomites, for
sodomites. This is especially true, to day, in 2009. Trying to find comic books
that are safe for male children is very very difficult now. It was easy in the
70s and 80s, but not now.
Comic BOOK...In grade school, maybe grade 6, I told a girl I liked to read
comic books, and she said that they were bad for me. But I told her, no, they
encourage literacy. For example, I pointed out to her that the vocabulary found
in Marvel was more sophisticated than the vocabulary found in DC Comics.
Sometimes, I had to use a dictionary. Comic books helped me learn to read,
and write, well...The ability to read and write is something I think male children
have to learn to fight for, because the world would rather that only a minority of
males learn to read and write...Princeton. Prison. Harvard. Her Ward. Yale. Jail.
Where would you like to go? Males who want to learn, are called names like "nerd"
(derived, I think, from the expression, never-do-well).
"They're drones, Mr. Mulder. They have no need for language". - Jeremiah Smith, X-Files.
An analogy might be drawn between what has happened in the comic book
sphere to what is shown on television now, compared to what was shown in the
past: Immorality is being promoted, by encouraging others to choose the lessor
of two evils. And then the choice is given again, and again, while the two evils
keep getting progressively worse...You must always filter: Refuse the evil, and
choose the good...The comma suggests a pause, whereas this word 'and' suggests
simultaneity. Always filter so that you do not ingest poison. Desire holiness, within,
for it is a "fallen world" without. Desire only good things, "the best of the best"...It
seems it was much easier to find "a good comic book" in the past. Back then, a comic
book in the hands of a fourteen year-old male, was like a box of chocolates in the
hands of a woman. But now, it is like a bag of halloween candy, where you worry that
some "psycho" has stuck a razor blade in a candy apple.
That said, I find this movie to be highly derivative of Director Akira Kurosawa's work,
'Yojimbo'.. And also, Clint Eastwood's 'A Fistful of Dollars', which was also based on
'Yojimbo'.
A Wasted Opportunity Mr. Robinson 
2005-04-21 - James Robinson started out with a pretty good idea although I was hoping for a character based more on the comic book guy from "The Simpsons". He had enough money to make a technically solid feature out of his material, and he did a fairly good job of casting (except for Cary Elwes). I won't bother to summarize the plot but will just address what went wrong. And enough is wrong to render this thing genuinely terrible.
It appears that Robinson was inspired to totally change his original ending late in the game, but was not inspired enough to rewrite the first half of his screenplay (very lazy). Which means there is a HUGE disconnection between the first and the second halves of the movie. This is not a good thing because in the first half Robinson provides film language elements (signs and syntax) that point in an entirely different direction from the way the film ends up going. The whole idea of film is to effectively tell a story; bottom line is that writers and directors who do this well are considered talented.
As I was watching it I gave it more credit than it deserved. I was waiting for them to reveal that the mother and the robber had just set up the store-owners to teach them a lesson. After a point I had to abandon this idea and began to wonder if it was a parody without any humor. If that's the idea then someone should explain to Robinson that to be successful a parody should be funny.
There were some very good shots in this movie. Natasha Lyonne gave a particularly good performance even if it was a grown-up version of her "American Pie" character. So a lot of good work was totally wasted on something that doesn't work on any level which is very sad.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
Comic Book Fan Boys Run Amouk
2004-12-04 - There is an underlining message to COMIC BOOK VILLIANS. All involved in this film must either hate comic books and its industry or know a lot about it... or care about comic books to put out this "message" film. It can go either way. In the mid-to-late 90's, the comic book industry and its subculture went on a collecting and memorabilia craze. People thought they were going to buy comic books as investments and be millionaires. That plan bottomed out and the industry nose-dived. COMIC BOOK VILLIANS indirectly is an outgrowth of what happened to the industry in the late 90's. The film is a cross between PULP FICTION, A SIMPLE PLAN, and VERY BAD THINGS with a touch of 'Kevin Smith' thrown into the mix. Two rival comic book storeowners Ray and Norman (Donal Logue / Michael Rapaport respectively) in a small town find out a local avid collector has died. Then they figure that they can get his comic book collection and sell it for a windfall. Unfortunately, the guy lived at his Mom's house (Eileen Brennan) where he kept his collection and she refuses to sell. So, the two rivals devise plans to woo her to get the collection. However, she stands her ground not to sell. They end up resorting to drastic measures to get the collection and it gets real ugly, and very, very, violent. The plot starts out innocently enough with the script and dialogue having "comic book-knowledge" banter and even mentions the SDComic Con Int. (The San Diego Comic Con International)etc. However, it suddenly takes a sharp left turn and it is jarring and unwatchable. None of the characters are likeable. The only positive aspect of the film is that one of the characters; a comic book aficionado (D.J. Qualls as Archie) realizes the futility of comic book collecting and comes out on top. Therefore, as stated, there is an underlining message of the film; and that it is telling comic book 'fan-boys' to "GET-A-LIFE!" and that there is a whole world out there to explore besides the world of comic books and its obsession with memorabilia and collections. The film is blatant in this message and if that is its main intent, it is a scathing dig on the whole culture of the comic book industry.
What a Funny and Good hearted movie
2004-06-10 - This is a movie for the fans of comic books, eccentric actors, and/or just for people who are generally odd-ball types. If you fit into any of the above categories, you must buy this movie! Or watch it on STARZ!
FUNNY BOOKS 
2004-04-29 - Eileen Brennan, way long ago from LAUGH IN and PRIVATE BENJAMIN, has the best lines in this film when she asks DJ Qualls if he likes funny books. In a movie about obsessive comic book fans and collectors, it sums up the banality of the obsession. COMIC BOOK VILLAINS starts out in a fairly light vein, with some funny scenes and then turns bleakly dark, and by the end of the movie, you feel like you need Prozac. Another lesser known film, STRANGER THAN FICTION, did this funny to horrifying segue, and it worked. Somehow COMIC BOOK VILLAINS doesn't make this transition as easily. Donal Logue as the totally obsessed Raymond starts out rather cool, then almost zany in his obsession, but by the end, his murderous rage totally disengages him from real life. DJ Qualls (The Core) once again plays the nerdy friend to the tee. Qualls will probably always look seventeen, but he's a disciplined performer, and shines in his role. Natasha Lyonne and Michael Rapaport are such caricatures that when Lyonne decides to end their marriage, it seems way out of character. Cary Elwes plays way against type as the hoodlum Carter, but even his metamorphosis from a guy trying to make life work to a crazed kidnapper seems improbable.
Eileen Brennan is glorious as the intended victim, and though she looked very old and frail, her reserve energy boosted the film when she was on screen.
A different kind of film, but not as fulfilling as it should have been.
