James Mangolds Logan, in which Hugh Jackman played an aging Wolverine during the twilight of the X-Men, received practically universal acclaim for its understated darkness and emotional maturity—qualities not often often found in todays superhero movies. It was among the first in a new age of R-rated hero movies and was praised by many for being more than “just” a Marvel film. Its screenplay received both an Oscar nomination and a Writers Guild of America nod. Ethan Hawke, however, is not so impressed.
In a chat with The Film Stage ahead of the Lifetime Achievement Award he is being awarded at the Locarno Film Festival, Hawke discussed his feelings about the difference between a good movie and a good superhero movie.
“Now we have the problem that they tell us Logan is a great movie,” he said. “Well, its a great superhero movie. It still involves people in tights with metal coming out of their hands. Its not Bresson. Its not Bergman. But they talk about it like it is.
“I went to see Logan cause everyone was like, This is a great movie and I was like, Really? No, this is a fine superhero movie. Theres a difference, but big business doesnt think theres a difference. Big business wants you to think that this is a great film because they wanna make money off of it.”
Hawke, the elder statesman of independent cinema, prefers to spend his efforts supporting art-film houses like Film Forum, and starring in movies like this years First Reformed, a highly reviewed, bleak drama from Paul Schrader.
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