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Kick-Ass
The foreground features the superhero Kick Ass in his green and yellow costume. Against a black background the words KICK-ASS are written in yellow block capitals.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMatthew Vaughn
Written byMatthew Vaughn
Jane Goldman
Mark Millar
(Comic book)
John Romita, Jr.
(Comic book illustrator)
Produced byMatthew Vaughn
Brad Pitt
Kris Thykier
Adam Bohling
Tarquin Pack
David Reid
StarringAaron Johnson
Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Chloë Grace Moretz
Nicolas Cage
Mark Strong
Narrated byAaron Johnson
CinematographyBen Davis
Edited byPietro Scalia
Jon Harris
Eddie Hamilton
Music byJohn Murphy
Henry Jackman
Marius de Vries
Ilan Eshkeri
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Lionsgate
Release dates
26 March 2010 (2010-03-26)
(United Kingdom)
16 April 2010 (2010-04-16)
(United States)
Running time
117 minutes[1]
CountriesUnited States
United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28 million[2][3]
Box office$96,031,873[4][5]

Kick-Ass is a 2010 superhero film based on the comic book of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. The film was directed by Matthew Vaughn, who co-produced the film with actor Brad Pitt, and co-wrote the screenplay with Jane Goldman. The film's general release was on 26 March 2010 in the United Kingdom and on 16 April 2010 in the United States.

The film tells the story of an ordinary teenager, Dave Lizewski, who sets out to become a real-life superhero calling himself Kick-Ass. Dave gets caught up in a bigger fight when he meets Big Daddy, a former cop who, in his quest to bring down the evil drug lord Frank D'Amico, has trained his eleven-year-old daughter to be the ruthless vigilante Hit-Girl.

Kick-Ass has generated some controversy for its profanity and violence, particularly for the character Hit-Girl. The film received mostly positive reviews.

Plot

Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is a geeky teenager who wonders why nobody has ever decided to become a superhero like the ones in the comic books, so he decides to become a real-life superhero, despite having no superpowers or training. During his first attempt to fight crime, Dave is beaten, stabbed, and hit by a car. He convinces paramedics to say nothing about his costume, making them say he was brought in naked, and spends several weeks in hospital. Some of Dave's nerve endings are damaged, giving him an enhanced capacity to endure pain and metal plates are placed in his skeleton to support his bones. After a painful recovery, Dave returns to school only to find out that his longtime crush, Katie Deauxma (Lyndsy Fonseca), is interested in him, but only because she thinks he is gay, after hearing a rumour caused by the belief that he was found naked: since everyone believes he was naked, they believe that his muggers must have raped him. Dave goes along with this in an effort to spend time with her.

Undeterred by his setback, Dave continues to patrol the streets. One night, he comes upon a gang fight and defends the single fugitive from his attackers. A bystander records the event, as well as Dave calling himself "Kick-Ass". The video becomes a YouTube phenomenon, and Dave sets up a MySpace account so people can contact Kick-Ass.

Katie tells Dave that she is being harassed by a drug dealer, so he convinces her to ask Kick-Ass for help. Kick-Ass tracks down the drug dealer to his abode to deliver a warning, but is subdued by the dealer's henchmen, who appear intent on killing him. He is rescued by child costumed vigilante Hit-Girl (Chloë Moretz), who kills his attackers and then leaves with her father, Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage). They later track down Kick-Ass, informing him that they can work together, and they will keep in contact.

Big Daddy is revealed to be Damon Macready, a former cop who was framed by local crime syndicate leader Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong) because D'Amico saw him as a threat to his organization. While Damon was in prison, his wife overdosed on sleeping pills and died shortly after giving birth to their daughter, Mindy. After his release, Damon trained Mindy to fight crime as Hit-Girl and he became Big Daddy.

Believing Kick-Ass to be responsible for damage done to his organization, D'Amico orders his men to find and eliminate him. After D'Amico kills an imposter dressed as Kick-Ass, his son, Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), suggests a different approach. Chris will pose as a superhero named Red Mist to trick Kick-Ass into trusting him, and lead him into a trap. Red Mist meets Kick-Ass, bringing him to D'Amico's warehouse to "ambush" his men. Instead, they find the building on fire with everyone inside dead. Red Mist retrieves surveillance footage which shows that Big Daddy is responsible.

Realizing the seriousness of his situation, Dave wants to quit being Kick-Ass. He tells Katie the truth, and she forgives him and becomes his girlfriend. Some time later, Dave finds urgent messages from Red Mist, requesting they meet, and to find Hit Girl and Big Daddy. Kick-Ass leads Red Mist to one of the Macready's safe houses, with D'Amico's men following. Red Mist shoots Hit-Girl, knocking her out of a window. Big Daddy and Kick-Ass are captured and taken to a warehouse to be tortured in a live Internet broadcast. Kick-Ass and Big Daddy are severely beaten, and Big Daddy is set on fire, when Hit Girl, who survived by wearing a bulletproof vest, arrives and kills the gangsters. Big Daddy is badly burned and dies from his injuries after having a tender moment with his daughter. Kick-Ass tries to convince Hit-Girl to quit, but she plans to finish what her father had started, and Kick-Ass reluctantly agrees to help.

Posing as a schoolgirl, Mindy enters D'Amico's headquarters and kills most of the henchmen in the penthouse, but runs out of ammunition. Just as one of D'Amico's thugs is about to shoot her with a bazooka stolen from Macready's safe house, Kick-Ass, armed with a jet pack fitted with Gatling guns that Big Daddy had purchased prior to his death, kills the remaining men. He then takes on Red Mist and they knock each other out. Hit-Girl fights D'Amico, but she is eventually overwhelmed. As D'Amico is about to shoot Hit-Girl, a revived Kick-Ass fires the bazooka, blasting D'Amico out of the window where he explodes in mid-air. Red Mist comes around to find Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl escaping with the jet pack.

Hit-Girl and Kick-Ass retire from crime fighting to live a more normal life. Mindy, now in the custody of Damon's ex-partner Sergeant Marcus Williams, enrolls at Dave's school. Dave explains a new wave of superheroes have been inspired by his endeavor. In the final shot we see Red Mist donning a new mask and declaring war on the new hero population with the words, "A world full of superheroes, huh? As a great man once said, 'Wait'll they get a load of me'."[6]

Cast

Series-creator Millar, a native of Scotland, asked Scottish television children's-show host Glen Michael to make a cameo appearance[8] although his role was cut from some versions of the film.[9] WCBS-TV news reporters Maurice DuBois, Dana Tyler, and Lou Young make cameo appearances. Kick-Ass marks the second time Clark Duke appears in a film with Lyndsy Fonseca and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, the previous films being Hot Tub Time Machine and Superbad, respectively.

Development

The rights to a film version of the comic book were sold before the first issue was published.[10]

Vaughn notes that, "We wrote the script and the comic at the same time so it was a very sort of collaborative, organic process. I met [Millar] at the premiere of Stardust. We got on really well. I knew who he was and what he had done but I didn't know him. He pitched me the idea. I said, 'That’s great!' He then wrote a synopsis. I went, 'That’s great, let’s go do it now! You write the comic, I’ll write the script.'"[11]

With Kick-Ass, the book's just out and now the movie's out six weeks later. And I think that's the way things are going to go now, because to go to Marvel's B and C-list characters and try to get movies out them – what's the point of that?

The comic was written at the same time as the script. Millar commented that screenwriters Jane Goldman and Vaughn had made a "chick flick", having placed more emphasis on the character emotions, and particularly in having softened the character of Katie Deauxma.[2]

In the original comic-book, Big Daddy was revealed to be not an ex-cop, but a former accountant who had been motivated to fight crime by a desire to escape from his life and by his love of comic books. In the film, his purported origin and motivations are genuine: writer Mark Millar considers that the revelation about Big Daddy's background would not have worked in the film adaptation, and would have "messed up the structure of the movie"[13] The comic's artist John Romita, Jr stated that Big Daddy's story in the film "works better stopping short (...) You love him better in the film".[14]

Both the comic and the film reference popular contemporary web sites. Kick-Ass buys his costume on auction site eBay; the video of his fight is posted on YouTube; and he keeps in contact with his fans through social networking website MySpace. D'Amico even threatens to expose Detective Gigante by posting incriminating photos of him on Facebook.

The film was independently financed. Vaughn initially went to Sony, which distributed Layer Cake, but he rejected calls to tone down the violence. Other studios expressed interest but wanted to make the characters older. Vaughn believed enough in the project to raise the money himself.[3]

Ratings

In an interview with Total Film, Aaron Johnson confirmed that the film stays true to the adult nature of the comic series by featuring a large amount of profanity and graphic violence and it received an R rating by the MPAA and a 15 rating from the BBFC.[1][15] Director Matthew Vaughn felt the 15 certificate was about right and expressed some surprise at the film having received a PG rating in France.[2].

However, the original comic book contained considerably more gore graphic and realistic violence; in the movie, most scenes are toned down by the adding of lighthearted background music and are less graphic in the gunshots and amputations scenes. Also, the torturing scene for Kick-ass and Big Daddy's death are considerably longer, more detailed, violent and cruel in the comic book than in their film counterparts. The characters in the comic book are also younger than in the film.

Filming

Filming locations include Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School,[16] Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and various locations in the UK, including Elstree Studios.[17]

Music

Soundtrack

Untitled

The film's soundtrack album was released in the United Kingdom on 29 March 2010,[18] and in the United States on iTunes on 30 March 2010.[19] The title song is by pop singer-songwriter Mika, co-written by Jodi Marr and produced by RedOne. The song "Kick Ass" was confirmed as Mika's 10th official single in the United Kingdom and was officially released on 2 May 2010.[20]

The video for the single shows Mika as a helpless individual left in an alleyway after being mugged.[21] He begins to sing and as he does, the words of empowerment in the lyrics and his finding of an issue of the Kick-Ass comic inspire him to run for the rooftops and wail the chorus to the sky. As is the norm with most soundtrack singles, the video features intercut scenes from the film.[22]

The soundtrack song "Kick Ass" has received positive views by many websites such as Popjustice.com[23] and Digitalspy.co.uk [24]

The song "Stand Up" by The Prodigy features in both the Teaser Trailer[25] and Red Band Trailer.[26]

A song featured in the film, but not on the soundtrack is "Crazy", by Gnarls Barkley. This song is played in the Mistmobile while Kick-Ass and Red Mist cruise around town together. Also, the version of "Bad Reputation" used in the film was by Joan Jett but the version on the soundtrack was by a band called "The Hit Girls".

The song "Hey Little World" by The Hives, which played in the theatrical trailers was also not included.[27]

Track listing

No.TitlePerformed byLength
1."Stand Up"The Prodigy5:08
2."Kick Ass (Radio Edit)"Mika vs. RedOne3:11
3."Can't Go Back"Primal Scream3:46
4."There's a Pot Brewin'"The Little Ones3:13
5."Omen"The Prodigy3:54
6."Make Me Wanna Die"The Pretty Reckless3:55
7."Banana Splits (Kick-Ass Film Version)"The Dickies2:04
8."Starry Eyed"Ellie Goulding2:57
9."This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us"Sparks3:03
10."We're All In Love"The New York Dolls4:50
11."Bongo Song"Zongamin5:00
12."Per Qualche Dollaro in Più (For a Few Dollars More)"Ennio Morricone2:53
13."Bad Reputation"Joan Jett and The Blackhearts2:56
14."An American Trilogy"Elvis Presley4:31

Score

The film's score was released on May 17, 2010 in the UK,[28] Two of the instrumentals in the film are altered versions of songs from other John Murphy composed soundtracks. These are "In The House - In A Heartbeat" from 28 Days Later: The Soundtrack Album and "Adagio in D-minor" track from the Sunshine soundtrack. The former was used in the scene where Big Daddy guns down D'Amico's men in the warehouse and the latter was used when Hit-Girl is trying to rescue Kick-Ass and Big Daddy. They are called "Big Daddy Kills" and "Strobe (Adagio in D Minor)" respectively on the Kick-Ass score. One track, "Walk To Rasul's" was composed by Danny Elfman, who was referenced in the original comic.

Untitled

Track listing

No.TitleComposerLength
1."The Armenian Superhero"Henry Jackman1:59
2."Stand Up"The Prodigy3:32
3."Forcefield"Marius Vries1:05
4."Watching"Henry Jackman1:01
5."Man In The Mirror"Henry Jackman1:08
6."A Punch In The Chest"Marius Vries0:45
7."Roof Jump"Marius Vries1:31
8."Time To Engage"Henry Jackman0:26
9."Stabbing-Morphine"Marius Vries1:56
10."I'm Kick Ass"Henry Jackman1:16
11."Famous"Marius Vries2:22
12."A Friend Like You"Marius Vries0:43
13."Walk To Rasul's"Danny Elfman0:58
14."Trick Or Treat?"Marius Vries2:43
15."Leaving Rasul's"John Murphy1:18
16."Hit Girl & Big Daddy"Marius Vries2:39
17."Damon & Marcus Comic Book"Henry Jackman3:24
18."I Miss You Both"Ilan Eshkeri1:40
19."Hunting Kick Ass"Henry Jackman1:04
20."MistMobile"Henry Jackman1:40
21."Big Daddy Kills"Henry Jackman2:50
22."One Last Time"Marius Vries0:57
23."Sleepover"Marius Vries1:57
24."To Brooklyn Bridge"Marius Vries1:42
25."Safehouse / Ambush"John Murphy2:34
26."Showtime Pt 2. (It's Only The End Of The World)"John Murphy2:25
27."Nightvision"John Murphy1:57
28."Strobe (Adagio in D Minor)"John Murphy2:02
29."Big Daddy Dies"Henry Jackman1:33
30."Hit Girl Drives Home"John Murphy1:42
31."Marshmallows"Henry Jackman1:12
32."Choose Your Weapon"Ilan Eshkeri1:26
33."You Got Five Minutes"Marius Vries0:35
34."No Power, No Responsibility"Henry Jackman1:16
35."The Corridor"John Murphy1:16
36."Kitchen Stand Off"Ilan Eshkeri1:19
37."The Fight"Marius Vries3:12
38."Flying Home"Marius Vries1:49
39."True Identity"Henry Jackman1:39

Release

Kick-Ass was released in the United Kingdom on 26 March 2010.[29] The film opened in Australia on 8 April.[30] The North American release was on 16 April by Lionsgate.[31][32] France's opening was scheduled for 21 April.[33]

A screening of the unfinished film was shown at the 11th Butt-Numb-A-Thon film festival on 13 December 2009, where it was received with wild enthusiasm by the event's attendees.[34][35]

Controversy

In January 2010, an uncensored preview clip of the film was attacked by family advocacy groups for its display of violence and use of the line "Okay you cunts, let's see what you can do now," delivered by Chloë Moretz, who was 11 at the time of filming. Australian Family Association spokesman John Morrissey claimed that "the language [was] offensive and the values inappropriate – without the saving grace of the bloodless victory of traditional superheroes".[36] In response to the controversy, Moretz stated in an interview, "If I ever uttered one word that I said in Kick-Ass, I would be grounded for years! I'd be stuck in my room until I was 20! I would never in a million years say that. I'm an average, everyday girl."[7] Moretz has said that while filming, she could not bring herself to say the film's title out loud in interviews, instead calling it "the film" in public and "Kick-Butt" at home.[37] Christopher Mintz-Plasse expressed surprise that people are angry about the language, but do not seem to be offended that Hit-Girl murders many people.[38]

Reception

Critical response

The film has been met with generally positive reviews. Review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 76% "Certified Fresh" based on 222 reviews, with an average score of 7.0/10.[39] Rotten Tomatoes' selected top critics gave the film a rating of 71% based on 35 reviews.[40] Metacritic assigned the film a score of 66%, based on a weighted average of 38 reviews from mainstream critics.[41]

In the United Kingdom The Guardian gave the film extensive coverage by several of its critics and journalists.[42] Peter Bradshaw called the film an "explosion in a bad taste factory" and a "thoroughly outrageous, jaw-droppingly violent and very funny riff on the quasi-porn world of comic books – except that there is absolutely no 'quasi-' about it."[43] Philip French, writing for The Guardian's Sunday associate paper The Observer, called the film "relentlessly violent" with "the foulest mouthed child ever to appear on screen, [who makes] Louis Malle's Zazie sound like Colette" and one "extremely knowing in its appeal to connoisseurs of comic strips and video games."[44] David Cox noted that the film "kicks the c-word into the mainstream...inadvertently dispatch[ing] our last big expletive."[45] Tim Robey of The Daily Telegraph did not like the film and stated, "Matthew Vaughn’s Kick Ass is hollow, glazed, and not quite there".[46] Christopher Tookey of The Daily Mail warned, "Don't be fooled by the hype: This crime against cinema is twisted, cynical, and revels in the abuse of childhood".[47] Chris Hewitt of Empire magazine declared it, "A ridiculously entertaining, perfectly paced, ultra-violent cinematic rush that kicks the places other movies struggle to reach. ... [T]he film’s violence is clearly fantastical and cartoonish and not to be taken seriously."[48].

Roger Ebert gave the film one out of four stars. He called the film "morally reprehensible", appalled by the violent scenes in which an 11-year-old girl murders dozens of gang members and is then almost beaten to death by an adult man. "When kids in the age range of this movie's home video audience are shooting one another every day in America, that kind of stops being funny." With one star, the movie made that week's "Your Movie Sucks" list of one-star movies.[49] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times praised the film, saying, "Fast, periodically spit-funny and often grotesquely violent, the film at once embraces and satirizes contemporary action-film clichés with Tarantino-esque self-regard..." and singled out Moretz as "by far the best thing about the film: she holds the screen as gracefully as she executes a running back flip." She expressed unease over the film's implications for women and actresses in the genre and found the kernel of a Lolita-like relationship between Big Daddy and Hit-Girl, although she felt it would have taken a better director to bring that out.[50] Likewise, wrote Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times, "This shrewd mixture of slick comic-book mayhem, unmistakable sweetness and ear-splitting profanity is poised to be a popular culture phenomenon because of its exact sense of the fantasies of the young male fanboy population. ... [W]hat makes this film so intriguing is that, largely due to the terrific spirit and skill of young actress Moretz, if you are any kind of action film fan it's difficult to deny the live-wire pulp energy that plays out on screen."[51] Robert W. Butler of the Kansas City Star wrote, "By turns scathingly satiric and fan-boy celebratory, ridiculously violent and politically incorrect (at least when it comes to our notions of childhood), Kick-Ass is an absolute hoot, a giddy deconstruction of caped crusaders and men of steel."[52] In Film Journal International, former Marvel Comics writer Frank Lovece said the "delightfully dynamic" movie "actually improves on the comic by not metaphorically kicking in our hero's teeth ... and making him a sad-sack schmuck who was wrong about nearly everything." He found that, "Comedy-of-manners dry humor ... plays seamlessly amid scenes of stylized, off-camera mayhem."[53]

Among Canadian critics, Peter Howell of the Toronto Star gave a top rating, noting that the production "succeeds as a violent fantasy about our perilous and fretful times, where regular citizens feel compelled to take action against a social order rotting from within."[54]

Box office

The film earned over $12 million internationally in advance of opening in the United States.[4][5] On its debut weekend in the United States, it took in $19.8 million in 3,065 theaters, averaging $6,444 per theater.[55] Kick-Ass was reported #1, slightly ahead of How to Train Your Dragon in that film's third week. The numbers included non-weekend preview earnings.[56] The opening week numbers were considered by analysts and the media to be a disappointment[57][58], though "fairly solid."[59]

Home media

In an interview Matthew Vaughn said, "There is about 18 minutes of [deleted] footage, which is really good stuff. If the film is a hit, I'll do an extended cut."[60] The film is due to be released on DVD/Blu-Ray on August 3, 2010.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). | work = MTV.com | publisher = Viacom }} </ref>

Video games

The video game based on the movie was produced by WHA Entertainment and Frozen Codebase. It was released through the App Store on 15 April 2010 for iPhone and iPod Touch.[61] The initial Apple platform releases were reportedly unfinished beta versions and were withdrawn from circulation pending a relaunch of a finished version.[62] The game was released on PlayStation Network on 29 April 2010.[61] Kick-Ass, Hit-Girl and Big Daddy are playable characters. The game features Facebook missions and integration.[63] Both versions of the game received poor reviews.[citation needed]

Sequels

Director Matthew Vaughn has expressed interest in a sequel.[2] Vaughn also said, "No, we're not [planning a sequel]. If it continues doing well, then we might but I just don't like counting my chickens before the eggs hatched."[64] Moretz is enthusiastic about the idea of a sequel and said she would love to reprise the role of Hit-Girl.[7] On 16 March 2010, Mark Millar said he would begin writing a sequel comic book in April.[65]

On 9 April 2010, Millar revealed details for the second book, which he said would involve criminals taking on supervillain personae to counter the superheroes, and Hit-Girl trying to lead a normal life.[66]

References

  1. ^ a b "Kick-Ass". British Board of Film Classification. 26 February 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2010. Contains strong language, once very strong, & strong bloody comic violence
  2. ^ a b c d e f Jonathan Ross interviews Matthew Vaughn. (Video)
  3. ^ a b Borys Kit (15 August 2008). "Matthew Vaughn ready to 'Kick-Ass'". The Hollywood Reporter. Vaughn, however, is such a believer in the project that he raised the money for the $30 million indie project himself.
  4. ^ a b "Kick Ass (2010)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  5. ^ a b "Movie Kick-Ass". The Numbers. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  6. ^ ""Batman (1989) - Memorable Quotes"". Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  7. ^ a b c Larry Carroll (20 January 2010). "'Kick-Ass' Star Chloe Moretz Is One Of 10 To Watch In 2010". Moretz: I would love to. I can't say anything about [the ending], but I would love to be Hit-Girl twice, three times, four times in my life.
  8. ^ Lawrence, Edwin (10 October 2008). ""From Ayrshire to Hollywood for Cavalcade legend"". Ayrshire Post. Retrieved 16 October 2008.
  9. ^ Rick Fulton (22 March 2010). "Cartoon Cavalcade legend Glen Michael's cameo role is cut from new movie Kick-Ass". The Daily Record.
  10. ^ See notes by Millar in the comic. Issues 3. Quote: "As you read these words in early June, an official announcement should have been made on the movie, too, with the director name and a 2009 release date inked into the cinema schedule."
  11. ^ Philbrick, Jami (24 August 2009). "Vaughn & Goldman talk "KICK-ASS"". Comicbook Resources. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
  12. ^ Ben Child (29 March 2010). "Kick-Ass changes comic book films forever in a single blow". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  13. ^ Writer Mark Millar on 'Kick Ass', craveonline.com
  14. ^ KICK-ASS Interview: John Romita, Jr. (Part I of V), efilmcritic.com
  15. ^ "Exclusive: Lauro Londe Talks Kick-Ass".
  16. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1250777/locations
  17. ^ "Kick-Ass (2010) Filming Locations". UK Onscreen. Retrieved 13 April 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  18. ^ "Kick Ass – OST: Various Artists". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  19. ^ http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/kick-a-s-music-from-motion/id363203291
  20. ^ "Mika's new 'KICK-ASS' single".
  21. ^ MIKA – Kick Ass on YouTube
  22. ^ "Ass to be a screen hit". The Sun.
  23. ^ "Q: What do you get when you cross Mika with Lady Gaga's producer?". Popjustice. 16 March 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  24. ^ Robert Copsey. "Mika: 'Kick-Ass'".
  25. ^ "Kick-Ass Teaser Trailer". Flicksandbits.com. 11 November 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  26. ^ "Kick-Ass Red Band Trailer". Previewfilms.net. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  27. ^ Leedham, Robert (16 April 2010). "After The Supergrass Split, Praise Be To The Average Bands!". GigWise. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  28. ^ "Kick Ass: The Score - Various Artists". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  29. ^ Wilson, Ollie (23 March 2010). "Kick-Ass superheroes 'are real people' and 'can die'". BBC.
  30. ^ 9 News, [Wilkins slams controversial film 'Kick-Ass'], 8 April 2010]
  31. ^ "'Kick-Ass' Gets Distributor". {{cite news}}: Text "date 2009-08-17" ignored (help)
  32. ^ "Lionsgate Sets KICK-ASS For 16 April 2010; Moves THE EXPENDABLES To August!". Ain't It Cool News. 1 September 2009.
  33. ^ "Exclusif : quand Nicolas Cage joue les super héros..." (in French). Le Parisien. 15 April 2010. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  34. ^ ""Fresh from BNAT Quint shows some love to KICK-ASS and has a rundown of the Iron Man 2 trailer!"". AintItCool.com. 14 December 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  35. ^ Gholson, John (14 December 2009). "'Kick-Ass' Kicks Ass at BNAT". ScifiSquad.com. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  36. ^ "Family outrage at film Kick Ass (sic) violence and swearing". Daily Telegraph. 13 January 2010.
  37. ^ Siobhan Synnot (24 March 2010). "What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice, punches and the odd four-letter word, when they're the surprise star of Kick-Ass". The Scotsman.
  38. ^ Christopher Mintz-Passe:60 Second interview by Lucy White http://e-edition.metroherald.ie/2010/04/14/ MetroHerald 2010-04-14 page 17. Quote "People are so angry at Chloe [Grace Moretz] for saying bad language but she murders a ton of people and no one seems to be offended by that."
  39. ^ "Kick-Ass Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 24 June 2010. Consensus: Not for the faint of heart, Kick-Ass takes the comic adaptation genre to new levels of visual style, bloody violence, and gleeful profanity.
  40. ^ "Kick-Ass Reviews (Cream of the Crop)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
  41. ^ "Kick-Ass reviews at Metacritic.com:". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
  42. ^ "Kick-Ass: Britain's debt to American action films is underlined by this violent comedy about a superhero with no superpowers". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  43. ^ Peter Bradshaw (31 March 2010). "Kick-Ass: A hilarious, very violent black comedy puts a new twist on superheroics". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  44. ^ Philip French (4 April 2010). "Kick-Ass". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  45. ^ David Cox (2 April 2010). "Kick-Ass kicks the c-word into the mainstream". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  46. ^ Tim Robey (1 April 2010). "Kick-Ass, review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  47. ^ Christopher Tookey (2 April 2010). "Don't be fooled by the hype: This crime against cinema is twisted, cynical, and revels in the abuse of childhood". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  48. ^ Chris Hewitt. "Kick-Ass (review),". Empire. {{cite journal}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  49. ^ Ebert, Roger (14 April 2010). "Kick-Ass". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 17 April 2010. "the Your Movie Sucks™ files". Roger Ebert's Journal. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help); Text "http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/your-movie-sucks.html" ignored (help)
  50. ^ Dargis, Manohla (16 April 2010). "Kick-Ass (review)". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  51. ^ Turan, Kenneth (16 April 2010). "Movie review: 'Kick-Ass'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  52. ^ Butler, Robert W. (15 April 2010). "'Kick-Ass': Superhero send-up is violent, incorrect and, above all, hilarious". Kansas City Star. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  53. ^ Lovece, Frank (5 April 2010). "Film Review: Kick-Ass". Film Journal International.
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