Tag KICK-ASS

Originally posted: http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/90806899.html
By By Steve Ramos, Special to the Journal Sentinel

Shadow Hare has a catchy theme song, courtesy of an Internet radio station. He has a secret headquarters on the border of Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood – or, at least, it functions as one when shop workers aren’t busy selling Segways. He even has a pretty female sidekick named Silver Moon.
Donning black handmade tights and a lightweight ski mask and hitting the streets via a zipping Segway to fight crime, Shadow Hare, like the rest of the growing number of costumed heroes around the country from Utah to Ohio to Wisconsin, is about more than dressing up as a favorite fantasy character.
He’s a real crime-fighter. So is Watchman, who patrols Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood and other parts of the city in a red mask and loose black trench coat that help hide his identity, although the bold “W” insignia on his sweatshirt and his red latex clothes identify him as a member of Real Life Superheroes, a Web-based group with the aim of supporting and inspiring street-level efforts to make a difference – in costume or not.
These costumed crime-fighters have their share of fans: A pair of news clips about Shadow Hare on YouTube each have had more than 500,000 views.

Movie version

Now, on the eve of the movie “Kick-Ass” – a violent action comedy based on a graphic novel about real people dressing up as superheroes and fighting crime, opening in theaters Friday – Shadow Hare and his real-life costumed-hero counterparts face a new threat: company from copycats.
“Based on the previous history of superhero-related movie releases, I expect a large influx of people to join the movement,” Watchman said via e-mail. “Many of them won’t stick around for long as the novelty wears off quickly. Those who stay on will be a mixture of people who think it’s cool and those truly wishing to make a difference in society.
“But the difference with ‘Kick-Ass’ is that it’s sort of being promoted as real life. Because of that, there is a general fear that some people may try to mimic the violence displayed in the movie. I think I speak for most, if not all, people within the movement when saying we do not condone those types of actions.”
Tea Krulos, a Milwaukee writer and creator of the real-life superheroes blog Heroes in the Night (heroesinthenight.blogspot.com/), has called Riverwest home since he was 18 and acts somewhat as a personal historian to Watchman and other costumed heroes. Krulos, who is working on turning his blog into a book about the real-life superhero movement, frequently travels around the country to meet with other real-life heroes.
“A director came to town shooting footage for a proposed TV reality show on real-life superheroes and called me the Jimmy Olsen to Watchman and the heroes, which I thought was cool,” Krulos said. “One of the Real-Life Superheroes told me that I should put on a costume and join them, but I think the best way I can help them is to write about them.”

Online stores, reality TV

They’re already pretty organized. The World Superhero Registry offers a 12-step guide for new heroes and advice about whether one should include a cape in one’s costume (the consensus: capes get in the way). And there are other groups, including the Heroes Network, Superheroes Anonymous and the Great Lakes Heroes Guild, that use the Web to talk shop and coordinate community and charity efforts.
One hero, Captain Ozone, sells merchandise online, including boxer shorts and a $8 thong with his logo. Razorhawk, from Minneapolis, runs the Web site Hero-Gear.net, a business where “real-life superheroes” can buy their fighting togs.

Creating a stir

And even before the hype surrounding “Kick-Ass” started surfacing, the buzz has been building around the movie’s real-life equivalents.
Ben Goldman and Chaim Lazaros are working on a documentary about real-life heroes in New York and New Orleans. Two production companies are competing to set up a reality TV series about real-life heroes. A comedy called “Super” is in postproduction, with Rainn Wilson as an average guy who becomes a superhero called The Crimson Bolt to save his wife from a drug dealer.
What’s driving art – and real life – to everyday super-herodom?
“I think the most common theme that has inspired people in this movement is the general state in which we see our world,” Watchman said. “It is all of the bad things we see repeatedly, day in and day out. We are sick of it and we no longer wish to sit by and do nothing. This is our way of making a stand.”

Finding inspiration

“As far as the costumes,” Watchman said, “it’s difficult to pinpoint specifics on inspiration for our choice of attire, but most of us have been inspired by fictional superheroes of one type or another.”
In “Kick-Ass,” the characters show little reservation – if not always skill – in using violence. In real life, the reaction isn’t so uniform.
Amateur heroes use Tasers, handcuffs and pepper spray instead of super powers.
Krulos said a couple of amateur heroes have left organizations such as the Heroes Network over disagreements about the use of violence when fighting crime.

Missing in action?

Other heroes, such as Salt Lake City’s Captain Prime, who sports an elaborate rubber suit similar to the “Kick-Ass” character Big Daddy, have retired. Shadow Hare, too, has been missing in action lately, although some speculate he hung up his tights to attend college full time.
But the biggest threat facing real-life superheroes may be that few seem to take them seriously.
By By Steve Ramos, Special to the Journal Sentinel

On a warm spring afternoon in Milford, Ohio, a small town east of Cincinnati that Shadow Hare identifies as his hometown on his Facebook page, most shopkeepers say they’ve never heard of him. If you watch news reports on him and other costumed heroes – including one by WITI-TV (Channel 6) last winter on Watchman that’s available on YouTube – they’re shown as curiosities more than crime-fighters.
The release of “Kick-Ass” could put them into a brighter spotlight.
 

The movie Kick-Ass was quite possibly the greatest comic book, turned movie that I have ever seen. It sets the bar for the new age superhero films. This movie was a refreshing break away from the conventional superhero story. It gives the audience everything that they want in a movie ; action, comedy, suspense, sadness, and so on. Kick-Ass manages to awaken all types of emotion throughout the film. This movie will have people cheering, wincing, laughing, and maybe even tearing up at times.
The story is a fantastic adaptation of the comic created by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. They tell the story of Dave Lizewski, a regular kid who rises above the norm and becomes a superhero in real life. As someone who puts on a costume, and who has gone out to fight crime and help people; I have to say Dave Lizewski’s/Kick-Ass character was fantastic. His character had a lot of parallels to what it is like to be a superhero in real life.
The cast they chose gave a very strong performance; including big film actor Nicholas Cage to the new up and coming Aaron Johnson. Chloe Moretz gave a memorable performance as Hit Girl. While I did find this movie to be entertaining, it is not a film to take younger children, that is why it is rated R. The movie at times was quite violent, mostly in the scenes with Big Daddy and Hit Girl. If you are looking for an action packed film this is it. Personally, what I loved most about this movie, was the idea of becoming a real life superhero; the idea that one person would be willing to stand up to help and protect others even at the risk of their own life. The Kick-Ass character really brought this idea to light in the movie.
There was one scene that I felt was extremely powerful; however I don’t want to tell too much, but it honestly sums up and demonstrates why many real life superheroes do what we do.
This movie is fantastic. I loved it. I can’t wait to see it again.

Originally posted: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2865968/real_life_super_heroes_everywhere.html?cat=7
Kick Ass – Not Just a Movie
By Carol Rucker
Sometimes life imitates art and sometimes it’s the other way around, just like in Kick Ass, an upcoming movie that’s based on a Marvel comic book but also reflects a national Super Hero trend. If you know the story or

 have seen the movie trailers, you already know it’s a tale about a youthful team of unlikely crime fighting citizens.
These heroes can’t fly like Superman nor can they scale tall buildings like Spiderman. The heroes in Kick Ass have no super powers at all, nor any of the traditional caped crusader traits going for them…… but they can “kick….” Well you know. That’s where the movie title comes from.
More Than Just A Screenplay
The movie is based on a comic book drama that plays to the hearts of regular guys, those every day men and women who decide they’ve had enough with crime in the streets. When the regular guys and gals in Kick Ass decide to take it beyond mere talk, they take to the city streets fully adorned in super hero garb. They challenge bad guys and fight crime, a great idea for a comic book or a movie, right?
Except it’s more than just a screenplay. Kick Ass is art imitating life. In case you haven’t noticed, real life super heroes are everywhere, not just the stranger who fixes your flat tire or the volunteer who delivers food to seniors. Those people are everyday heroes indeed; but there are also genuine costumed and caped heroes in many cities; and you don’t have to go to the movies to see them.
Cincinnati’s Super Heroes
“Some scoff at me, others take me seriously,” Shadow Hare said in a 2009 interview. Despite what people have to say, Cincinnati, Ohio’s super hero has been fighting crime on the streets for nearly 5 years. If your timing is right, you might find Shadow Hare at his headquarters, The Ionosphere. (the Cincinnati Segway Dealership at Central Parkway and Vine) But you are more likely to see him gliding along the Downtown city streets on a Segway with his lady companion, Silver Moon, nearby. Together they seek out crime and do what they can to stop it.
Super Heroes Everywhere
You can find details about Shadow Hare on his MySpace page and on The World Super Hero Registry. There you will also find profiles on many more of the nation’s true life knights in shining armor. Here are just a few.
Utah – Like most super heroes, Insignis wishes to keep his identity a secret. Masked and costumed in black and white, Insignis patrols the streets of Salt Lake City. There he fights

 crime and does good deeds with help from the The Black Monday Society.
Arizona – Wearing black from head to toe, topped off with a gold cape, Citizen Prime patrols Arizona streets. He not only fights crime, but also strives to promote good citizenship in his home state.
Florida – Dressed in black from head to toe, Amazonia does double duty, working the streets in both Ocala, Florida and Lowell Massachusetts. As a founding member of the organization, Vixens of Valor, she is sworn to protect the innocent.
Michigan – You will recognize The Queen Of Hearts by her black tights and the big heart adorning her chest. She does volunteer work, assists local charities and patrols the streets of Jackson, Michigan with her cohorts, Captain Jackson and Crimefighter Girl. She also teaches Jackson, Michigan youth how to recognize and prevent domestic violence.
The movie, Kickass is coming out soon; and if you decide to see it, remember, it’s more than just a movie. It’s real life.
Source: Shadow Hare/Silver Moon Interview June 5, 2009
http://www.worldsuperheroregistry.com/world_superhero_registry_gallery.htm
More resources

• http://www.associatedcontent.com/video/355205/superheroes_in_the_city_shadow_hare.html?cat=2
• http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1820895/shadow_hare_silver_moon_cincinnatis.html?
• http://www.associatedcontent.com/video/355207/superheroes_in_the_city_part_2_shadow.html?cat=2

Originally posted: http://panicdots.com/2010/04/kicking-ass-real-life-superheroes/
By Andrew Moore
There was a question poised in Matthew Vaughn’s fantastic, action packed, superhero film, Kick Ass, when the protagonist – played by Aaron Johnson – asked his friends, why hasn’t anyone ever decided to become a ‘real-life superhero’ similar to those featured in the comic books?
After hopping on Google for a quick glance, it turns out many have and the results were surprising to say the least.
Similar to the title character in Kick Ass many of these ‘real life superheroes’ can be contacted through the wonders of MySpace. The website Real Life Superheroes.org has conveniently complied an extensive list – comprising over 60 of Earth’s current and retired champions, just in case you are one of those people out there holding out for a hero.
Though whether I’d rely on these guys to save the planet from an impending alien invasion is another matter entirely.
Initial impressions suggest there is an eclectic mixture of individuals out there ranging from environmental, political and social activists to the traditional crime fighting variety reminiscent of mainstream comic book lore.
Though some people may question their sanity or if its’ merely bored geeks taking the piss and wanting to create a few YouTube videos, you can’t help but find their reasons for donning the costumes quite endearing.
Foxfire
First under the spotlight in the mysterious, female avenger, known as Foxfire – her real identity is of course unknown – who has been patrolling the streets of Michigan as far back as 1997.
On her MySpace page she describes herself as:“A troublemaking revolutionary dedicated to shifting the dominant paradigm, I also have a knack for the wizardly arts. I aspire to be a “Guardian of Light”, which is, in modern terms, the same thing as a superhero.”
While the sceptics may throw their nose up and dismiss these antics out-right, there is bound to be others out there who must feel inspired by Foxfire’s intentions.
“My goal is to integrate magic, mystery, wonder and awe back into the modern American’s psyche–which is, at most, a slim chance. Still, it must be done!”

Italy’s Entomo and Ireland’s own Captain O-Zone however are superheroes with a much more relevant message to the world. In the face of constant climate change they take it upon themselves to channel their inner Captain Planet and promote the green word amongst their supporters.
Entomo, speaking of his beloved enthusiasm for his role he said: “To be a Real Life Superhero is truly the greatest deed a man can accomplish in a backwards world like this, where fiction is truer to reality than reality itself. On the other hand, the chance to fight for such a stunning planet is too significant to be turned down. Hear my buzz, fear my bite: I inject justice.”
Captain O-Zone
Captain O-Zone added: “I am an environmental, real-life superhero. I did not travel far-flung just to ask you to become a vegan, plant a tree, and to ride your bicycle. And I’m not here just to encourage you to vote for “green” politicians. I’m here looking for dynamic agents of change (not armchair activists) to join me in my righteous campaign for renewable energy!”
Admittedly to this journalist’s disappointment, the sole purpose for the majority of these RSH becomes clearer when looking into such characters as Peter Pixie and – the aptly named – Superhero who use their larger than life personas to benefit their own community in charitable capacities.
Superhero donates his spare time to helping children’s hospitals and feeding the homeless, while Peter Pixie along with four other people – The Ornament, El Secreto, The Phantom, She-Rock – founded of the Justice League of Denton with the purpose of raising money for the historic Orpheum Theatre.
So they might not have the resources of Batman, the powers of Superman and ingenuity of Spiderman but they certainly have the inspiration, the ambition and the good intentions at heart.
However one can’t help but think, with the success likely to come from the release of Kick Ass, the world might witness a new influx of real life superheroes. Or perhaps just massive boosts in Hit-Girl costumes come Halloween. Earth waits with baited breath.
Kick Ass is in cinemas nationwide now.

Originally posted: http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/6187104.Sutton_superhero_gatecrashes_Kick_Ass_film_premiere/
By Jamie Henderson
It will go down among the superhero community as the greatest gatecrash ever.
Sutton’s very own superhero SOS produced a performance any crimefighter would envy when he blagged a ticket to the Leicester Square premiere of blockbuster superhero movie Kick-Ass.
“Out of nowhere a lady gave me a free ticket. I couldn’t believe it. I met Jonathan Ross, whose wife wrote the screenplay, and mingled with lots of other stars.
SOS / Steve Sale
Having arrived at the cinema as his civilian alter-ego and failed to talk his way in to the screening, the vigilante nipped into a nearby telephone box and donned his familiar yellow costume.
Within minutes a ticket for the exclusive premiere was thrust into his hand and he was suddenly rubbing shoulders on the red carpet with stars like Brad Pitt and Nicolas Cage.
SOS, who this week was unmasked as 31-year-old Steve Sale, said: “I went down to the cinema in my normal clothes and didn’t really get anywhere so I quickly changed into my SOS outfit and suddenly everyone was chatting away to me and taking photos.
“Out of nowhere a lady gave me a free ticket. I couldn’t believe it.
“I met Jonathan Ross, whose wife wrote the screenplay, and mingled with lots of other stars.
“It was quite surreal in the cinema itself and some of the audience were a little alarmed when I sat down in my seat.”
The film Kick-Ass, in which a geeky student with no super powers attempts to become a superhero, bears a striking resemblance to SOS’s own film, screened in Sutton last month, Superhero Me.
The film showed SOS’s attempts to change his diet, “learning to fly” in a wind tunnel and meeting up with other superheroes around the world, including Entomo – Insect Man – in Naples, Italy.
Mr Sale said: “I travelled far and wide, to places such a Naples, to research my film but its origins really go back to Batman.
“The caped crusader didn’t have any superpowers but had courage, money and willpower.
“The point is, like the film Kick-Ass, anyone can become a superhero.”
Despite his secret identity being discovered Mr Sale said he’s not quite ready to retire.
Mr Sale said: “It’s a shame that it’s out there but what can you do.
“I’ve not hung up my cape just yet but am on what you could describe as a sabbatical.”
To watch SOS gatecrash the Kick-Ass film premiere visit superheromemovie.com.

Originally published: http://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/9752/was-there-life-before-kick-ass.html
By Tom Huddleston
The USP of Matthew Vaughn’s ‘Kick-Ass’ is that it’s about real life superheroes. But what about Mystery Men?
For the next month or so, you won’t be able to leave the house without hearing the words ‘Kick-Ass’. Matthew Vaughn’s teen superhero epic is fast, funny and extremely violent, but it also seems to be labouring under a misapprehension: that the concept of normal, everyday superheroes is somehow original. The film even opens with our hero Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) complaining that, in the real world, no one but the police dresses up and fights crime.
In fact, they do. A few years ago, a film played at the Sci-Fi-London Film Festival called ‘Your Friendly Neighbourhood Hero’. This wise and very amusing doc followed the exploits of four real-life costumed avengers – known only as Superhero, Master Legend, Mr Silent and Hardware – as they plied their trade on the suburban streets where they lived. Their exploits were relatively tame – none of them took down a major crime ring or foiled a villain in his underground lair – but, like Kick-Ass, they were dedicated ordinary Joes intent on remaking society in their own image.
Even in the realm of fiction the concept of normal folks with no special talents teaming up to fight forces of evil is nothing new. Alan Moore’s graphic novel ‘Watchmen’ was perhaps the first to imagine what would happen if society was suddenly overrun with masked heroes – his conclusion being that they’d become fascistic, sexually perverse social outcasts. Last year’s film version of Moore’s book turned the idea on its head by becoming exactly the kind of ultraviolent bonanza of special effects which Moore was satirising in the first place.
A decade ago, ‘Mystery Men‘ brought the very same concept which fuels ‘Kick-Ass’ – give or take a few vaguely supernatural elements – into cinemas, and was largely ignored by the ticket-buying public. It’s a shame, because Kinka Usher’s film was a smart, original and hilarious subversion of the superhero genre which deserves a second look.
Just check out the cast list for ‘Mystery Men‘: Ben Stiller plays Mr Furious, an ordinary guy convinced that his boundless inner rage makes him in some way special. Hank Azaria plays The Blue Raja, master of cutlery, while William H Macy brings his customary hapless warmth to the role of family man The Shoveller. There’s also room for Greg Kinnear as preening playboy Captain Amazing, Geoffrey Rush as master villain Casanova Frankenstein, Eddie Izzard as his sidekick Tony P, Janeane Garofalo as hipster hero The Bowler and the great Tom Waits as madcap inventor Doc Heller.
Sure, ‘Mystery Men’ plays things a lot broader and wackier than ‘Kick-Ass’. But it’s also sharper, more inventive and a lot funnier, taking the time to round out its lovingly drawn characters rather than just chucking them into another limb-slicing action sequence.
We’ve no doubt that ‘Kick-Ass’ is going to be a big box-office success. It’s got all the wisecracking, foul language and manic, intense violence that fanboys go nuts for. But once you’ve paid your money and got your kicks, give ‘Mystery Men’ a go: it would be a shame if this big-hearted, anarchic anti-blockbuster got lost in the shadow of its slicker but somehow less loveable offspring.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/popcandy/post/2010/03/kick-ass-your-new-favorite-superhero-movie/1
Originally published in USA Today
As you know, I’ve been psyched about Kick-Ass since I saw the film’s thrilling Comic-Con presentation. (It prompted a standing ovation, and that rarely happens at the Con.) The film, based on the comic-book series by writer Mark Millar and artist John Romita Jr., is something of a cross between Spider-Man, Freaks and Geeks and Kill Bill: It follows an introverted high-school kid (Aaron Johnson) who decides to don a spandex costume and become a straight-up superhero. The results are hilarious, twisted and shockingly violent.
What’s to like about Kick-Ass? Aside from the hardcore fight scenes, there’s the cast: Young Chloe Moretz is riveting as the young and spry Hit Girl, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse is funny (and refreshingly not-so-McLovin-esque) as Red Mist. Best of all, this may be the flick that reconnects audiences with Nicolas Cage; the actor is engaging and disturbing as Big Daddy, a weapons-obsessed father who tops his heroic deeds with a killer Adam West impersonation.
Millar and Romita attended last night’s New York premiere, presented by our friends at UGO. Afterward, they discussed the challenges of adapting the comic for the screen and shared a few tidbits about making the movie. (Fun fact: Romita initally wanted Mark Wahlberg for Big Daddy. Millar wanted Zac Efron as Red Mist.)
“The movie is horribly autobiographical,” Millar told the crowd, referring to some of Kick-Ass’ geekier moments. “I almost cringe watching it.”
When director Matthew Vaughn and the gang screened scenes at Comic-Con, the film still didn’t have a distributor. However, Millar and Romita said he never gave up.
“Matt got turned down by every studio, and he said, ‘OK, screw you. I’m gonna finance it myself,” Romita said.
Added Millar: “We thought we had the Pulp Fiction of screenplays here, and everyone hated it.” (Eventually, Lionsgate picked it up.)
Near the end of the evening, an audience member raised his hand. He stood up. Underneath his jacket, he was wearing a costume.
“I’m a real-life superhero,” he announced.
Sure enough, the guy was living just like Kick-Ass. He said he called himself the “Dark Guardian.” For seven years he had been fighting crime, “doing charity work” and committing other acts of good.
Perhaps at other venues, the Dark Guardian might’ve received some strange looks. Here, however, Millar and Romita beckoned him onstage. He was applauded.
And that’s the message of Kick-Ass: You don’t need to be bitten by a spider or born on another planet to save the world. If you’re willing to get your a– kicked every once in awhile, you, too, can be a superhero. And hey, shouldn’t that be celebrated?
Kick-Ass opens April 16.

Meet Geist, bond fide costumed crime-fighter
Originally published in March 2010 edition of Empire Magazine

By Own Williams
“Being a Superhero is a crazy, unorthodox idea, but it’s a fun way to something good,” says Geist, one of several hundred costumed vigilantes currently active in the USA. On his nightly patrols he’s defused domestic violence, broken up bar brawlers and reclaimed gang territory, not to mention uncovering a fake cop given to pulling over teenage girls an asking them to do “creepy things” and helping out during the 2007 Minnesota floods.
Reactions to his arrival are mixed. The first state trooper he encountered at the floods “put his hand on his Taser and locked me up and down” before sending him in the right direction. But he says his local cops are content that he’s fighting for good- “Although they’d prefer I stick to charity work.”
He describes his look as that of an “urban detective cowboy”, while the name translates simply as “ghost” or “spirit”. Geist is “someone who appears out of nowhere, does what’s necessary” than vanishes.
“I try not to hang around,” he says. “I become a lot less interesting when I do.”