The Thomas Haden Church/Sandman Thread

[Arkady Rossovich]

I thought Church was a great Sandman.

 

[Carnage921]

did anybody realize that sandman wears the same shirt as steve from blues clues?. He should have had a little blue dog as a sidekick.

 

[DACrowe]

I think Church was ery good. I don't think he needed a "sense of humor" as we already had that from Venom and Green Goblin was quite humorous in SM1. Even Doc Ock had a sardonic sense of humor. Sandman's whole point was he just wanted to steal money for his daughter and the police or Spider-Man or Venom just kept getting in his way to do so.

He needed to be serious and was. He had a beautiful transformation scene, the best ever done in a comic book movie and was wonderflly acted and used for special effects, unfortunately due to timing his character ended up probably about a third of his time on the cutting room floor. And that is disappointing because Church put so much time and effort into this role and the narrative focus shortchanged him the most.

Venom fans can whine all they want but Brock/Venom got a good amount of centralized focus even if he had fewer minutes of screentime. Sandman was the one shortchanged of the two more. I thought, anyway.

 

[Knightsaber Priss]

DACrowe - If you've read any of the Venom minseries comics, Brock didn't get a whole lot of clarification for his motivations throughout the movie, like why did he need that Staff Photographer's job so desperately? Only fangirls, like myself, who've read the miniseries like Lethal Protector know that in the movie he was most likely trying to appease his cold hearted father by showing him he could make it on his own. And also, in the Church scene, Eddie could have phoned his father looking for help only to get reamed out before going to the cathedral to pray which is why he was so upset with Peter for what he had done. But the average moviegoer in the theater doesn't know this backstory unless it's plotted into the movie so they assume Eddie's pissed off at Peter for no specified reason besides blaming him for his own mistakes. Their comicbook continuity ignorance cannot fill in the blanks.

But anyways, what I really wanted to say in here is that it seems to me like Topher Grace in interviews promoting the movie where Thomas Hayden Church is present, seems to consider him like a father figure. I think it's rather kinda sweet in a way.

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

Thomas Hayden Church fit the Sandman character very well. His transformation scene was the greatest transformation scene in a Comic Book movie. I love how Sandman was in desperate need to find a cure for his daughter, he would not let anybody stop him from finding a cure for his daughter. he was a great challenge for Spidey not only in the Film but in the Comics as well (even though at one point in the Comics he did team up with Spidey). But anyways, Sandman in the Comics was a crook who didn't have a sympathetic side, Spidey said in Amazing Spider-man # 4 "your wanted from Maine to Mexico". In the film Sandman is wanted but he doesn't want to do these crimes. he's mad that he has to do them and like he said in the film, "I didn't want it to be this way" or something like that. He has a great sympathetic side in the Comics but if somebody gets in his way, he will do what it takes to get a cure. I loved Sandman in the Comics (but like I have said befor, Venom still remains my favorite no matter what!), because he was a great villian even though he had no big story. I think Sam did something excellent and that is giving him a story and especialy giving him a family that is poor and hardly has any money. just look at what they live in, the place is a dump. We all felt bad for Sandman in this film because he was sad. he cried at the end when he was talking to Peter. I give three great thumbs up for Sandman.

 

[Victarion]

When he emerged from the sand pit after the accident, his lumbering reminded me of Frankenstein. I wonder if Raimi intended it. Does anyone have any idea as to what his daughter was suffering from.

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

When he emerged from the sand pit after the accident, his lumbering reminded me of Frankenstein. I wonder if Raimi intended it. Does anyone have any idea as to what his daughter was suffering from.

I'm not sure. It might have said something in the novilezation but I don't remember reading it in the novilezation. I might go back and check the novilezation to see if it says anything.

 

[Spider-Bite]

Could Sandman have been a ******?

Sorry, for the politically incorrect term, but I needed to grab your attention.

I think a much better way to make Sandman sympathetic, would have been to have him be mentally challenged. Have an evil, abusive mother be the one pulling the strings, and Sandman doesn't even want to be evil.

convincing symapthetic mentally challenged characters have been successfully used numerous times where the audience was able to care about the character and feel sorry for them.

I also think Thomas Hayden Church could have pulled it off. He has the voice, facial expression, demeanor, and look to pull it off. There were a few ocasions where I thought he sounded like big dumb oof.

Then maybe have the symbiote either A trick peter into thinking he's uncle ben's killer, or b
have spidey know he's a victim but he just doesn't care.

Maybe instead of the evil mother you have him be like a housekeeper or something but after getting his power, he takes the families children to get them away from their abusive father, and then everybody including spider-man assumes his just a child abductor.

 

[Mr. Socko]

I got a Q: How was Sandman held in prison in the comics? What type of cell did they use to contain him? What kind of security was taken?

 

[I7eIVIoNBoY]

a vacuum..

 

[Tails]

Star - May 21

 

[The Caped Knight]

Here is artist Joe DeVito concept drawing of Thomas as Sandman/Flint Marko

 

[Venom 1988]

^^^^
Hasent that pic been around for years, as in way before THC was casted?

 

[dos_acoustic]

Wonderfully cast and even better acting. Sandman/Church made the movie for me!

After watching the movie again those are the only scenes i can sit thorugh. I was very dissapointed that the armor car scene was so short. Im hoping that with a directors cut there will be atleast another 10 minutes of that fight. After watching that fight scene i felt like a kid again looking at my dad old Spidey comics.

The reformation scene was so beautiful. It actually brings me to tears when i see it. Its just such a great scene.

 

[DACrowe]

I liked hte armor car fight too (albeit I think Peter/Harry had the best fights in the movie with the most emotion and their first fight being the most viercal and hard hitting) but 10 MORE MINUTES/ It was a nice quick fight that was a classic Spidey vs. Sandman moment and set up for darker more sinister interaction between the characters later on.

 

[The Caped Knight]

I too wished The Armor car fight / case was a little longer because it was like a classic Spidey vs. Sandy fight pulled striaght out from The pages of The Comic books. However I realized that if it was longer what else could spidey do since Sandy would just be counter attacking his every move .

And as for The Underground train tunnel / Sewer Drain fight between Black Symbiote Spider-Man vs. Sandman, I loved that too and I know for a fact it was cut short . I hope Sony release the director's cut . I want to see the whole fight .

 

[Eelectro 2]

the main reason those fights were so short is because in an early draft of the script (i think when vulture was still present) that was all one fight. after the armored car crashed it would cut to spidey looking around and you would see the sand going into the drain and it would commence from their. i would have loved if that was how long the fight was (since most spidey vs villain fights take place in more than one place) but would not have loved if that was their only fight so i like that it's spread out more, HOWEVER i do with the fights were longer, even just a few seconds i wouldnt' mind.
an early cut of the original spider-man 3 trailer that was shown at comic con had really early graphics and such, but there was at least one scene (more of a slow motion shot) of spider-man punching sandman and it taking part of his face away, kind of how the subway fight punch went, dont' kno if they thought that was too repetitive or if they just thought it worked better with black suit spidey. but i think when spider-man surfs on the door through the street and catches back up to the car, i think that if it was extended it would be in that moment right before he gets punched into the car...and then of course the pole across sandmans face shot from the subway tunnel that was shown in other trailers

 

[SlyGuyTtjn]

Star - May 21

Wow is he gonna sleep during it? Like the Spider-man premiere? lol

And he smiled? Wow.. Lucky girl. J/k guys..

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

I loved the Armored Car scene. it was like a Classic Spidey vs. Sandman moment from the Comics. The Subway fight scene was excellent to. not to mention that with the Symbiote Spidey is much stronger so he fights Sandman is harder to defeat than he was with the red and blue Costume which makes fpr a great battle.

 

[Victarion]

Sandman being the one to pull the trigger was a good plot idea, but put in the wrong movie.

In a film where Aunt May's fallen ill, the connection could be made that Marko pulled the trigger. Spider-Man goes after him as a way of "putting things right" before Aunt May died. Then on the deathbed she could reveal she always knew he was Spider-Man.

 

[Spider-Fan83]

why do so many people, want to see poor Aunt May to die

 

[Victarion]

Well, she's got it coming, quite frankly. The Hype is full of morbid folks.

 

[SlyGuyTtjn]

why do so many people, want to see poor Aunt May to die

Boring character, and it'll make Peter more.. Relentless.. TO BECOMEZ TEH CARNAGE!





lol (kidding).. she is boring though.

 

[<(o_o)>]

So how did Sandman know that Peter/Spider-Man was even related to Ben Parker? Spider-Man only mentioned the name Ben Parker to Sandman in the subway scene & never mentioned how he knew Ben Parker or how he was related to him & at the end of the movie when Sandman is making his peace with Spider-Man out of the blue Sandman says that he was sorry for what happened to his "Peter's" uncle.

 

[DACrowe]

Because Peter said "You had a choice when you killed my uncle!" and Marko only killed one person (as far as he knows) at this point and that man had a name that was Ben Parker, something Spidey mentioned when he tried to kill him.

Plus I'm sure there are extended Venom and Sandman scenes that would have touched upon that.